Diseases of the stomach are now widespread. The most significant complaint in gastrointestinal diseases is pain. It is this unpleasant symptom that makes a person consult a doctor. Often, patients do not immediately go to the clinic. Not enough time, organization, it is difficult to make an appointment with a doctor. And only when the pain does not go away for weeks and becomes unbearable, does understanding come that something serious is happening.
The origin of pain can be different. The most unpleasant is stomach pain. In medical practice, stomach pain is called gastralgia. “Why does the stomach hurt, and as a result of what processes does this pain appear,” you ask?
Its occurrence is due to several reasons. The cramping nature of the pain is caused by a spasm of the smooth muscles of the stomach or its parts. Burning, acute gastralgia is associated with a violation of the integrity of the gastric mucosa. Dull, aching - with a decrease in gastric tone.
One of the serious diseases of the stomach is peptic ulcer. Often it is combined with a duodenal ulcer. The disease is dangerous with its complications. Long-existing peptic ulcer disease is complicated by perforated ulcer. This means that a hole through which the entire gastric contents passes into the abdominal cavity deepens and forms, simply put, into a defect in the mucous membrane of the stomach. Peptic ulcer can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, and can transform into cancer.
By the time of the onset of pain, you can approximately determine where the ulcer is located. If the stomach hurts on an empty stomach or 2 hours after eating, it means that the ulcer is in the stomach, and not in the intestine. The disease should not be accompanied by fever. If the temperature still rises and the stomach hurts, you need to urgently consult a doctor or call an ambulance.
What should be done if there is pain in the stomach? Treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is the prerogative of a gastroenterologist.
At home, to reduce or relieve pain, you can take a drug from the group of antacids, which include aluminum phosphate or magnesium hydroxide. They envelop the inner surface of the stomach, thereby eliminating the effect of hydrochloric acid on the inflamed mucous membrane. Well-tolerated and safe drugs are Almagel and Fosfalugel. They normalize the acidity of the stomach, without interfering with normal digestion. In no case, pain relievers, including paracetamol, ibuprofen and nimesulide, should not be taken to relieve pain. These drugs are absolutely contraindicated for pain in the stomach, as they have an ulcerogenic effect (they can cause ulceration in the mucosa).
If your stomach hurts periodically, you should also not take drugs on your own that belong to the proton pump inhibitor group , which reduces the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Although they remove the phenomena of discomfort, on the other hand, they can neutralize the picture of dangerous diseases, which include stomach cancer. In addition, if inflammation of the stomach is accompanied by a bacterial infection, a decrease in acidity can contribute to its spread and the progression of the pathological process.
In conclusion, it should be recalled that only a doctor after examination and additional examination will be able to choose an effective and safe treatment regimen. The sooner the medications are prescribed, the more favorable the prognosis for recovery will be. Therefore, if your stomach hurts without delay, go to the doctor.