Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain — often called stomach ache — is a common condition that almost everyone experiences at some point in their life. That’s because there are many possible causes for abdominal pain. It can develop without a diagnosable underlying condition. However, it can also be caused by digestive problems, inflammations, or infections.
What are the causes of abdominal pain?
Abdominal pain can have many different causes, ranging from mild to severe. Some common causes of abdominal pain include:
1. Gastrointestinal issues: Abdominal pain is often caused by problems in the gastrointestinal system, such as indigestion, acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea.
2. Infections: Infections in the gastrointestinal tract, such as viral gastroenteritis, bacterial infections like salmonella, or parasitic infections like giardiasis, can cause abdominal pain.
3. Inflammatory bowel disease: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of disorders that cause chronic inflammation in the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms.
4. Gallstones: Gallstones are small, hard deposits that can form in the gallbladder, causing severe abdominal pain.
5. Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas can cause severe abdominal pain, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
6. Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, a small organ attached to the large intestine, can cause severe pain in the lower right abdomen.
7. Urinary tract infections: Infections in the urinary tract can cause pain in the lower abdomen, as well as other symptoms such as frequent urination and burning during urination.
These are just a few examples of the many possible causes of abdominal pain. If you are experiencing abdominal pain, it is important to consult abdominal pain management for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Abdominal pain after meals
Sometimes, abdominal pain develops immediately or several hours after a meal. In these cases there are often underlying digestive problems most frequently associated with fatty foods. This can lead to bloating in the intestines.
The following foods can cause digestive problems and abdominal pain:
- Raw vegetables
- Legumes like beans
- Broccoli or Brussels sprouts
- Large amounts of sweets
- Fatty meals like roasts.
Other causes for abdominal pain after meals are heartburn, gallstones, or food intolerances. These conditions need to be diagnosed by abdominal pain menagement for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
How is abdominal pain diagnosed?
Like many kinds of pain, abdominal pain cannot be diagnosed through any kind of test. For most individuals, pain can vary greatly in its intensity. There are different methods to try and measure pain severity, for example through a scale from 0 (= no pain at all) to 10 (= worst pain imaginable). For abdominal pain it’s important to rule out other conditions as a cause.
