Possible causes of abdominal pain and discomfort


If you have abdominal pain, you might try to point out some symptoms in order to identify a possible important condition. Abdominal pain isn't always related to the underlying organs.

Drugs: Some drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen may cause abdominal pain. If you take medicines regularly and get abdominal symptoms, look into the drug information leaflet and speak to your pharmacist or doctor if you are concerned. Be aware that drugs called steroids, sometimes prescribed for treatment of arthritis or another chronic conditions, can mask abdominal symptoms - meaning that you may experience less pain than you would if you weren't taking the medicines. Therefore, seek medical health advice sooner rather than later.

Gallstones: If gallstones get stuck in the tube that connects the gallbladder to your bowels, you might suffer from intermittent pain that waxes and wanes (called colicky pain). You're also likely to feel sick or vomit when you get the pain. Consult your doctor.

Gastroenteritis: Abdominal pain is a very common symptom when you have a tummy bug (also known as gastroenteritis). Typically, the condition starts quickly and you'll feel quite unwell with nausea, vomiting and loose stools. You may even have a fever. Gastroenteritis pain has a tendency to get better after opening your bowels and is usually cramp-like.

Hernia: A swelling in your groin area is due to a break in the muscular wall of your abdomen, leading to bowel contents being pushed through (called an inguinal hernia), which could get worse on coughing or straining once the hernia gets trapped. In most cases, you can push the swelling back - even though it usually recurs quickly.

Indigestion: Pain or abdominal discomfort after consuming is known as indigestion. Talk to your pharmacist about over-the-counter preparations to relieve your symptoms. However, if your symptoms don't settle or are severe, do consult your doctor.

Ibs: Intermittent abdominal pain may be due to what's called irritable bowel syndrome, particularly if you also have other bowel symptoms for example diarrhoea, constipation or wind. See your doctor for more assessment.

Pregnancy: A high level woman of childbearing age, consider pregnancy just as one cause for your abdominal pain, particularly if your period is late and you've got other pregnancy-related symptoms for example tender breasts, urinating more frequently or feeling very tired. You can get a home pregnancy test from your local pharmacy to find out if you're pregnant. Contact your doctor immediately when the test confirms that you're pregnant or if you could possibly be pregnant but haven't done a test. Although most abdominal pain in pregnancy is harmless, some of the potential underlying causes are serious and need urgent assessment and treatment.

Urine infection: Urine infections can cause pain in the middle of your lower abdomen - the area where your bladder is. Other indications of urine infection are burning or stinging when urinating and urinating frequently. Your urine may look cloudy or even blood-stained. Contact your doctor since you may need antibiotics, particularly if the pain spreads towards your loins, which can indicate contamination of your kidney - particularly if you in addition have a fever and feel lousy.

If your abdominal pain isn't too severe, drinking fluid in small amounts regularly, and taking simple painkillers such as paracetamol, may help to alleviate mild pain. Perhaps also keep a bowl ready in case you need to become sick. Seek medical help, especially if you also notice the following:

Occasionally, your abdominal pain may be due to a more serious underlying cause. Speak urgently to your doctor or consider calling '999' in the event of the true emergency whenever you get worse very quickly if you experience severe tummy pain plus any of the following symptoms:

Tummy pain can be tricky to suss out, and thus if you're unsure concerning the cause or you have any additional symptoms not covered in this article, talk to your doctor.

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Note: This article was sent to us by: Nancy Butler at 03102011

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