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Abdominal Pain - Causes and Diagnosis
By Ruth | September 5, 2008
What is abdominal pain?
Abdominal pain can be any pain that is felt in the abdomen, coming either from organs within or adjacent to the abdomen. The abdomen is an area of the body bounded by the ribs and the diaphragm, as well as the pelvic bone below.
What causes abdominal pain?
The organs may be inflamed, or there may be a loss of blood supply or any number of other reasons. If the pain is felt in the abdomen but arises from organs outside of the abdomen then this is known as “referral pain”.
Inflammation can be down to a number of conditions such as appendicitis, diverticulitis or colitis. Stretching of the organ could also be the source of the pain, for example from conditions such as gallstones or hepatitis. However, the pain can also occur independently of any of these described factors being present, as in the case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in which case it is not known exactly what causes the abdominal pain felt by IBS sufferers.
Diagnosis of Abdominal Pain
When presented with a case of abdominal pain, doctors will attempt to diagnose the cause of the pain by a physical examination, examining the characteristics of the pain (for example the duration, location, things that relieve the pain), through tests such as X-Rays of the abdomen, and occasionally through surgery to allow examination of the abdominal cavity.
Diagnosis may be difficult since the characteristics of the pain often change, and pain felt may be atypical. Tests taken will not always show abnormal results, and there are a number of diseases that can mimic each other’s symptoms - making diagnosis more difficult.
After diagnosis the doctor will attempt to cure the underlying reason for the abdominal pain suffered, though it is important not to expect an immediate diagnosis or cure of the abdominal pain.
Topics: Medical Conditions |