Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain appears in the abdomen (stomach, belly) and can arise from abdominal organs like the gallbladder or appendix, or other organs like the spine or heart.

Severity of abdominal pain does not always correlate with severity of an underlying disorder: constipation or gas, built in the bowel, may cause debilitating pain, while developed pancreatic cancer may not cause any symptoms. Check for causes of severe abdominal pain.

Abdominal Quadrants

One vertical and one horizontal line flowing through the navel (umbilicus) divide abdomen on four abdominal quadrants: right upper, right lower, left upper and left lower.

continue reading Abdominal Pain, Picture of Abdominal Quadrants with Organs

Characteristics of Gallbladder Pain

Pain arising from the gallbladder or bile ducts usually appears below the right lower rib, 3-5 inches (7-12 cm) from the vertical mid-line. It may spread into the right lower or upper back, shoulder blade or shoulder. Other causes of right upper abdominal pain are liver, right kidney, ureter or adrenal gland, stomach, duodenum, pancreas, skin, muscles and ribs in affected area.

continue reading Gallbladder Pain and Other Symptoms of Gallbladder Disease

ACUTE Left Lower (LLQ) Abdominal Pain

Causes of acute (sudden, newly appearing) lower left quadrant (LLQ) abdominal pain lasting from few seconds to several weeks include:

1. Constipation

Constipation may appear as constant or cramping pain, often in LLQ. Dry food (cookies) or low-fibre food (meat, cakes etc.), skipped meal, not drinking enough, pain anywhere in the body or lying in bed (like in hospital) for some days are main causes of constipation in a person with the otherwise healthy gut.

continue reading Acute & Chronic Left Lower (LLQ) Abdominal Pain – Diagnosis

How to Determine a Cause of Abdominal Pain

The cause of the abdominal (stomach) pain can be determined from:

1. Pain LOCATION:

• Right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain may be from gallstones, bile ducts dysfunction, liver diseases, right kidney or ureteral disorders, or right adrenal gland
• Left upper quadrant (LUQ) pain may be from to pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, spleen enlargement or rupture, trapped gas in the colon, left kidney or ureteral disorders, or left adrenal gland
• Upper middle abdominal pain may be from gastritis, stomach or duodenal ulcer or cancer, pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, aortic aneurysm or dissection of abdominal aorta, lymph nodes enlargement in lymphoma, strained or injured muscles of abdominal wall
• Right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain may be from appendicitis, right colon inflammation in Crohn’s disease, right ovarian cyst or cancer or twisting, ectopic pregnancy, a stone in the right ureter, intestinal hernia.
• Left lower quadrant (LLQ) pain may be from diverticulitis, atherosclerosis of abdominal arteries, left ovarian disorder, ectopic pregnancy, a stone in the left ureter, intestinal hernia.
• Lower middle abdomen may arise from muscles of abdominal wall (stretching, injury, hypokalemia), menstruation, infection or cancer of the bladder, pelvic inflammatory disease, inflammation of urethra (mostly infection, including STDs), inflammation or cancer of the prostate, diseases of testes, epidydimis or seminal ducts.
• Abdominal pain that is hard to locate may appear in constipation or IBS.
• Diffuse abdominal pain may be from severe bloating or peritonitis.

continue reading Causes of Abdominal Pain – Diagnosis from Symptoms & Investigations