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.

An aneurism is the widening (dilation) of a blood vessel, and an aortic aneurism specifically involves the aorta which is one of the arteries through which blood passes from the heart to the rest of the body.

An abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) is the most common type of aortic aneurism. One reason for this to occur is that elastin, the principal protein present in the wall of the aorta, is reduced in the abdominal aorta compared with the thoracic aorta which is nearer the heart, or it could be that the abdominal aorta does not possess vasa vasorum (a network of small capillaries that supply the outer tissues of areas like the aorta), hindering its repair.

The risk of abdominal aortic aneurism becomes much greater with age, with most cases diagnosed in the over 60s. Men are also at a much higher risk of AAA than women. Smoking greatly increases the risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurism, and it also increases the chance of rupture once the aneurism has developed. High blood pressure and diabetes are other factors that increase risk.

What are the effects?

An aortic aneurism may cause discomfort, but the greater risk is that it may rupture which results in severe pain and internal haemorrhage. The risk of rupture is large once the size reaches 5cm, though many swell to around 15cm.

Rupture is often the first sign of abdominal aortic aneurism since the condition usually produces no symptoms. Only a small percentage of patients survive rupture, though if the abdominal aortic aneurism is detected early (usually through X-Rays of the abdomen) surgery is able to prevent rupture by removing the aneurism.

Heartburn is misconceived. In actuality, heartburn has nothing to with the heart. The heartburn you feel after eating is actually caused by stomach acid aggravating the esophagus. You see, at the bottom of the esophagus is a valve which, helped by our friend gravity, keeps stomach acid where it belongs. When this valve doesn’t do its job right (by this, I mean it doesn’t close and keep the acid down), you feel what is commonly known as heartburn.

So, what causes heartburn?

The short answer (and I like keeping it short here) is it is caused by something pressing up against the esophagus or the overfilling of the stomach, both of which most often happen in the obese and overweight. Eating a meal can cause the stomach to be overfilled and enough of these overfilling causes the buildup of fat around the torso of the body to cause pressure on the esophagus and this “acid valve.” Just losing 10-15 pounds can greatly decrease the chance of frequent heartburn in the future. This is not the only reason for heartburn, but it is the most common. Eating certain foods does have a deadening affect on the “acid valve.” These include onions, alcohol, citrus fruit, garlic, peppermint, and other foods high in oil. Lastly, smoking both increases stomach acid and relaxes your valve–so if you smoke, expect heartburn eventually.

Early onset (in the 40’s or 50’s) of Alzheimer’s results in 2-5% of the cases. Half these cases are the result of genetic inheritance of the gene associated with the disease.

Other possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease,  diabetes, and high cholesterol.

Symptoms
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s are progressive. Loss of memory by those with the disease in the initial stages of the disease are very minor. Most people usually dismiss these symptoms as the normal part of aging. When these symptoms worsen, it becomes apparent it is not normal. The loss of memory soon turns into the loss of the ability to perform cognitive function. Examples include not being able to understand what is being read or not understanding simple tasks.

Prognosis
The prognosis of Alzheimer’s disease most often does not include death. The disease is progressive and will eventually render its victims unable to function at all. Alzheimer’s patients in the late stages most often don’t know where they live or know anybody around them, nor can they control their bladders. Death can sometimes occur if the patients aren’t given proper care. They will not eat, bathe, or do any other mandatory task; for this reason, pneumonia (or some other condition caused by deteriorated states of health) can cause death. But most patients will die from some other cause as long as they are given the proper care.

The cause of  Alzheimer’s disease is unknown. The leading hypothesis is that the disease is the result of excess ABeta protein in the brain. There has been studies concerning ways of decreasing the amount of A? in the brain. But this only addresses the inherited versions of the disease. The un-inherited versions don’t have an excess of A?. For these cases, there is no known cause.

Some symptons of Crohn’s disease include abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, etc. It is a disease that affects between one and two million people in the United States.

Causes:

There is no clear cause of Crohn’s disease. Scientists have speculated it is caused by strains of certain bacteria, though no substantial evidence has been shown to support this hypothesis of infection.

Diet has been shown to change the severity of the disease, though the consensus seems to be diet has no direct cause.

Crohn’s disease is not contagious. It has, however, been shown to be more likely to affect members of the same family, thus implying a possible genetic connection.

Prognosis and treatment:

There is no known cure for Crohn’s disease. There are, however, several treatments available which can manage the disease.

The nature of Crohn’s disease is “come and go.” For some with the disease, they experience months, even years, of remission with little or no symptons. During this time, no treatment is usually given. On the other hand, some experience relapses quite often. During this time, it can be very difficult to manage the pain, depending on the severity of the relapse.

Possible medications for Crohn’s Disease include antiinflammatory medications (corticosteroids as an example), immuno-modulators, and other similar medications (depending on the symptons).

Some reading if you are interested to know more:

MedicineNet, Wikipedia

The buildup of these substances inside the coronary arteries can lead to the heart not getting enough blood (therefore, not getting enough oxygen). When this happens, this leads to chest pain (otherwise known as angina).

If the blood is completely blocked, this can lead to a heart attack (which is known as a myocardial infarction) or a sudden change in your heart rhythm (cardiac arrest).

This is the leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, heart disease accounted for more than 650,000 deaths in America in 2004 according to the CDC’s estimations.

Ironically, heart disease is by some standards preventable. By leading a healthy lifestyle including diet and exercise, a person can greatly decrease their likelihood of suffering from the disease.

Causes of coronary heart disease include, but not limited to, a high-fat diet, lack of exercise, stressful lifestyle, tobacco use, family heredity, and high cholesterol. Those are in no particular order.

Symptons of coronary heart disease include:

Symptons may only come into full light after it’s too late. Sudden cardiac arrest may result from the artery blockage. If this happens, it can sometimes be fatal. This usually happens during some kind of exercise or other strenuous activity. This is when the heart needs oxygen and other vital nutrients the most, so it is only natural for the arrest to happen during these activities.

Other symptons of the disease itself include, but are not limited to, chest pain, leg or arm pain on the left side, dizziness, and an irregular heartbeat.

A chart of severity in America based on county and state can be found here.