Abdominal Pain

Abdomen is said to be a Pandora’s box. There are multiple causes of abdominal pain.

Simple causes of abdominal pain includes gastritis or gastric upset, infection in intestines (acute gastro-enteritis), chronic constipation, IBS ( Irritable bowel disease)

More complex and severe pain is seen in

• Diseases of pancreas, formerly known as pancreatitis (swelling of pancreas)
• Swelling of appendix- appendicitis
• Some liver diseases like hepatitis and liver abscess
• Obstruction of intestines- acute or sub-acute intestinal obstruction
• A tumor in any abdominal organ can cause pain in abdomen.

And many more reasons we find in our clinical practise.

You should consult the doctor- preferentially a gastro-enterologist for accurate diagnosis of abdominal pain. A careful history taking and thorough examination are important in localization of the cause of abdominal pain.

Sometime doctor may ask for some investigations for the diagnosis, which includes:

• Blood tests ( done to check presence of infection, liver or pancreatic swelling etc.)
• Ultrasound of abdomen
• CT scan
• Endoscopy (Know More)
• Colonoscopy (Know More)

The treatment depends on the cause of the pain. While simple infections can be treated with a handful of oral medicines, some complex diseases may require hospitalization and surgery.

No. Every patient with long standing abdominal pain does not have cancer.

However, I recommend investigations for long standing cases, especially those with red flag sings.

Red flag sings include

• Weigh loss
• Black stools
• Blood in stools
• Swelling over the neck
• Anemia ( low Hemoglobin)
• Fatigue