Abdominal pain can originate from various parts of your body, from digestive organs such as your stomach and intestines to nearby organs such as the gallbladder, bladder, ovaries, and muscles in your abdomen. Common causes for abdominal discomfort may include infections, inflammation, blockages, or how the brain interacts with gut processes. Sometimes, the pain is linked to a clear issue, while in other cases, no clear cause might be found.
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When experiencing abdominal pain, it's important to also pay attention to any accompanying symptoms, which might include:
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Pain that interrupts sleep at night
- Pain that keeps getting worse
- Persistent pain that doesn't go away
- Vomiting, especially the inability to keep food down
- Dehydration
- Difficulty having bowel movements
- Painful urination
- Swelling or tenderness in the abdomen
- Seeing blood in stool or vomit
- Noticing black or tar-like stool
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes
If you have any of these symptoms along with your abdominal pain, seek medical help right away.
Diagnosing abdominal pain can be complex due to the variety of potential causes. To determine the source of pain, your doctor may:
- Take your medical history and perform a physical exam
- Conduct blood, urine, or stool tests
- Use imaging techniques like CT or MRI scans
- Perform procedures like colonoscopy or endoscopy
These tests help doctors better understand what might be causing your abdominal pain. While most of these tests are done as outpatient procedures, if your condition is severe, you might need to be hospitalized.
Treatment for abdominal pain depends on its source. Some causes, like appendicitis or severe blockages, require immediate surgical intervention while others may only need mild measures like gas-related discomfort relief. Gastroenterologists specialize in diagnosing and treating abdominal discomfort and can offer guidance and plans to help ease it.