Causes of Abdominal Pain
There are a variety of different conditions than can be the root cause of abdominal pain, all of which need to be ruled out before an accurate, clinical diagnosis can be made.
First of all it is important to ascertain whether the abdominal pain is above or below the navel. If the pain is above the navel, it could be due to any of the following condition:
- Gastric ulcer (an ulcer in the stomach lining)
- Peritonitis (an inflaming of the inner lining of the abdomen)
- Gastro oesophageal reflux (heart burn)
- Lower pleuritis (inflammation of the outer coverings of the lung)
- Gall stones causing an inflammation of the gall bladder Duodenal ulcer (inflammation in the small intestine connected to the stomach)
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas which can cause a severe pain in the back)
- Musculoskeletal sprain
If you have very noticeable and uncomfortable abdominal pain above the navel, either one of these conditions could be the cause.
Abdominal pain below the navel is perhaps the most common. Like above the navel pain, there are a lot of conditions that could be causing pain below the navel – each of which need to be taken into account before an accurate diagnosis can be made.
Common causes of abdominal pain below the navel include:
- Appendicitis (this begins with growing pain in the navel before becoming more acute and moving to the right side)
- Ischemic colitis (a problem affecting the blood supply to the intestine)
- Urethral stones (stones in the tubes connecting the kidneys and the urinary bladder)
- Cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder)
- Kidney stones
- Uretheral stones (stones in the tube connecting the urinary bladder and penis)
- Urethritis (inflammation of the tube connecting the urinary bladder and the penis)
- Diverticulosis (the linings of the small intestine develop sac like out pouching due to weakening of the muscles covering the intestines)
- Diverticulitis (inflammation of these sacs like out pouching)
- Volvulus (twisting of the intestines which can cut off blood supply)
- Kidney inflammation (Pylonephritis)
- Salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes)
- Ectopic pregnancy (where the baby develops in a site other than the uterus)
The above are the most common causes of abdominal pain both above and below the navel. The sheer number of possible causes means abdominal pain can sometimes be difficult to diagnose. Diagnosis is usually done with the help of blood tests, endoscopy, X rays and MRI and CT scans.
For further assistance and information regarding abdominal pain and any of the conditions noted above, visit The Online Doctor for a free online consultation.