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
