At one time or another, almost all of us have had to go through some sort of stomach pain. Caused by a variety of different conditions and issues, stomach pain is very often the result of eating something that didn’t agree with your stomach. When this is the case, the pain in stomach usually does not last long, as it may be relieved once a bowel movement takes place. Another cause of the common stomach ache can be something as simple as gas builds up in the intestinal tract brought on by certain foods or swallowing large amounts of air.
It may be however, that the cause of the pain and discomfort isn’t something so straightforward. Stomach pain may be due to an inflamed or distended organ in the abdominal area. It may not be the stomach, but adjacent organs that are affected, such as the liver, pancreas, small intestine, colon, gallbladder and spleen. A problem in the stomach or any one of these other organs can cause stomach pain. The pain may be stemming from inflammation, distention, or even a problem with the blood supply to any of the aforementioned organs.
Abdominal problems due to inflammation include appendicitis, colitis and diverticulitis. Examples of distention (over stretching) would be a swelling of the liver due to hepatitis, gallstones that impede a bile duct, or an obstruction somewhere in the intestinal tract. Ischemic colitis or similar issue is the result of a loss or inadequate supply of blood being circulated in the organ and is quite painful.
Apart from these, other diseases and medical conditions can give rise to pain in stomach, even though there is no inflammation, distention nor loss of blood supply to the organs in the abdominal area. Such is the case in a little understood disorder called irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. Intestinal muscles that contract abnormally and cause pain is the common symptom of IBS sufferers. Nerves located in the intestinal tract can become extremely sensitive and cause pain; even though there is no discernable reason present. Visceral hypersensitivity is the term for this condition that is otherwise more generally categorized as a type of functional pain… or pain that is occurring without a discernable root cause
As you can tell, there are any number of factors that can cause stomach pain, and as such it is very important that the actual root cause be pinpointed. A proper treatment for the pain becomes much more quickly available once the actual source of the pain has been properly diagnosed by your doctor.
As a part of the diagnosis process, the doctor will need to determine the characteristics of the stomach pain such as how and when it began, its location, the duration, and what either sets off or relieves it. All of the aforementioned details combined together to create what is known as the pain characteristics and they are key information in attaining the proper diagnosis.
Your doctor will more than likely conduct a more thorough exam and depending upon the scenario, conduct some lab or radiological testing. Although rare, surgery may be needed in order to determine the exact cause of the stomach pain. Diagnosis is not an easy matter because many organs and various disorders are being considered. Pain that is atypical or having no common manifestation or that even changes over time can add even another layer of complexity to the diagnosis process.
Even lab tests can come back negative even though the pain is quite real and there is something causing it. Stomach pains are not something that should be ignored or treated lightly, be sure to get with your doctor if you are experiencing any kind of this type of pain.
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