Diseases from the field of gastroenterology are one of the most common causes of severe cuts in the abdomen, but the classification of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract is so branched that this symptom alone is not enough to determine the disease. Often, such a regularly observed factor as an “acute abdomen” hides under itself not one, but several serious pathologies of the digestive and genitourinary systems, which can only be found by medical specialists.
Definition of pain by signs
If the nature and frequency of severe cuts in the abdomen is alarming, then you should make an appointment with a therapist, but before visiting the office you need to understand your pain sensations in order to be able to describe them correctly when making an anamnesis.
The systematization of pain is carried out in three directions: by their localization, by the time of appearance and by the intensity of the attacks.
Determining the nature of pain by its location:
- unclear, blurred coverage of pain throughout the epigastric region with or without hypochondrium may indicate a stomach ulcer or the formation of a malignant tumor on it;
- point pain right under the ribs - a sign of hepatitis or beginning cirrhosis;
- concentrated cuts under the rightmost rib - a clinical picture of appendicitis;
- thrills in the epigastric region will indicate a possibly formed ulcer or duodenitis;
- tingling and pain under the sternum indicate the likelihood of cholecystitis;
- cuts in the side of the abdomen or along the line of the intestine often indicate the presence of helminthic invasions or food poisoning.
Recurring epigastric pain is usually tied to the same time period with respect to food intake. This tendency also needs to be calculated and included in the description of symptoms:
- acute form of the disease includes severe abdominal cramps that occur directly during or immediately after a meal;
- to the early type are pains that occur shortly (no more than an hour) after eating;
- pains of a delayed, late nature are those that appear about 4-5 hours after a meal and precede the next, next meal;
- “Hungry” cramps often occur during poorly rationed diets or 6 or more hours after the last meal.
When diagnosing, it is very important to correctly describe the intensity of pain. Rez can be characterized in such refinement expressions as:
- obscure locations spilled;
- weak, unpleasant, tingling;
- medium strength with noticeable soreness;
- strong, rapidly growing pains that exceed the pain threshold at a critical point.
The presented types of painful symptoms are unstable and can even replace each other during one attack both in increasing negative feelings and in decreasing order.
The cause of pain is gastritis
According to statistics, the most common cause of abdominal cramps is ordinary gastritis, which proceeds in a latent form or manifests itself actively. The main provoking factors of the disease are considered to be irregular and malnutrition, saturated with fats and light carbohydrates, alcohol abuse, stress. In recent years, cases of the disease have become more frequent among women who unsystematically practice fashionable diet for weight loss.
Signs of gastritis:
- cuts in the pit of stomach;
- heartburn accompanied by acid burping;
- feeling of heaviness after satiation.
If you ignore the symptoms of acute gastritis, the disease quickly takes the form of a chronic one. Drug treatment of abdominal cramps is carried out against the background of a strict diet, excluding fatty, smoked, spicy dishes, any sausages and canned food.
Peptic ulcer
At the first stages of the disease, a stomach ulcer can be confused with other gastroenterological pathologies, however, the disease progresses very quickly, overgrowing with specific symptoms:
- bloating, abdominal cramps (in the upper part);
- nausea, heartburn;
- a feeling of heaviness in the stomach even after taking a small amount of food;
- sharp weight loss;
- problems with bowel movements.
The main symptom of peptic ulcer is an obsessive and almost always present pain in the epigastrium. At first, unpleasant sensations appear only after eating aggressive foods, such as smoked meats or pickles, but then a person begins to suffer with pain after each meal without exception. Cramps in the abdomen in men due to ulcers are almost twice as common as in women.
The disease is characterized by a relapsing course with long periods of remission, during which the formation of a single or multiple ulcers affecting the deep layers of the affected organ. Even after serious treatment, traces of healed ulcers remain in the form of scars.
Treatment of gastric ulcers involves the use of antibiotics, gastroprotectors, as well as drugs that block the mechanism of secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. During therapy, a strict diet is mandatory, which will vary depending on the stage and intensity of the disease.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis occurs in humans due to the development of existing diseases of the digestive tract or as an independent pathology under the influence of disposing factors. Provocateurs of the disease can be:
- alcohol abuse
- unauthorized use of strong drugs;
- infectious or viral diseases;
- food or chemical poisoning.
Pain in the abdomen against the background of a developing disease torments the patient constantly, and the localization of pain can shift or blur until the whole organ hurts. When the pain is concentrated under a spoon, the pain radiates to the back.
The disease proceeds accompanied by other symptoms:
- rapid weight loss occurs;
- frequent nausea without vomiting;
- bloating;
- the allocation of watery gray feces with a pungent odor;
- general weakness, apathy.
The most pronounced pancreatitis in the abdomen during pregnancy. With prolonged ignoring of acute symptoms, a person has neurological changes: memory impairment, loss of concentration. One of the common complications of untreated pancreatitis can be diabetes.
Therapy of pancreatitis takes a long period of time and involves the constant use of analgesics, antibacterial drugs and the adoption of special measures to remove toxins from the body.
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis in most cases is a consequence of blockage of the bile duct by moving calculi, so it can be called the most common complication of gallstone disease. What can cause stomach ache with cholecystitis? Overeating, an abundance of fatty and difficult to digest food on the daily table, the use of alcohol without measure - all these factors favor the development of the pathological condition of the digestive tract and provoke an exacerbation of the disease.
At home, the disease is determined by a combination of the following symptoms:
- metallic taste on the tongue;
- stable high temperature within 39 °;
- tachycardia;
- painful burping;
- yellowing of the skin (not in all cases);
- severe nausea and less commonly vomiting.
The determining symptom is cutting pains in the right side of the abdomen, which appear at the time of bending, turning, or simply with a sharp movement. At the time of exacerbation of cholecystitis, pain radiates to the shoulder or upper back.
The treatment of the disease in the acute phase takes place in a hospital. Against the background of antibiotics and choleretic drugs that form the basis of therapy, the patient is prescribed symptomatic drugs that reduce the level of excitability, suppress vomiting and pain.
Follicular ovarian cyst
In women, pains in the abdomen (below the navel) characterize a common gynecological disease - an ovarian cyst. The formation of small formations may pass unnoticed and not affect the well-being of a woman, but large cysts or collected in large clusters will manifest pronounced symptoms:
- cutting pains extending to the left side;
- violation of the monthly cycle, as well as a change in the nature of bleeding (may be more abundant or poorer than usual);
- drawing pains in the lower abdomen during menstruation;
- in some cases - nausea, dizziness, vomiting;
- general weakness, mood swings.
What can the stomach ache with cystic formation? The “life” of the follicular cyst normally amounts to no more than 3 menstrual cycles and, if after this period the neoplasm does not disappear, then complications may occur in the form of rupture of the follicle or torsion of the cyst legs. These factors are the main cause of acute pain, the relief of which by home methods is almost impossible.
Hormone therapy and antibacterial drugs are used to treat pathological cysts. In urgent cases, for example, when torsion of the legs of a cyst of the 2nd degree is performed, an operation is performed to remove the damaged organ.
The presence of parasitic forms
The problem of acute abdomen is more often encountered by adults, but children also experience inexplicable, at first glance, cramps in the abdomen. What if the child complains of strange pains in the epigastric region? First of all, parents need to remember whether the following symptoms preceded the onset of pain in the child:
- nausea, increased salivation;
- halitosis;
- vagaries and fatigue;
- digestion problems;
- sudden weight loss.
Children infected with helminthic infestations are sick more often than their peers, study worse and have signs of constant nervous excitability. All these symptoms make up the clinical picture of helminthiasis, which cannot be considered confirmed until laboratory tests show a positive result.
Home treatment with herbs and various drugs from a series of dietary supplements does not save parasites, although it can contribute to their partial elimination with feces. Only a parasitologist, having on hand the results of analyzes indicating the type of helminths detected, is able to assess the situation and prescribe treatment to completely remove invasions from the patient's body.
Acute appendicitis
Inflammation of the appendix - the appendix, located at the very bottom of the cecum - occupies a leading position among gastroenterological diseases requiring mandatory surgical intervention. Among the main causes of the occurrence of pathology, doctors call the blockage of the lumen of the appendix as foreign objects that enter the body with food or solid feces.
As a result of the formation of an impenetrable plug at the exit from the appendage, the outflow of the mucous contents of the appendix ceases, and the hollow organ begins to swell, making it difficult for the blood to circulate in the densified walls. If measures are not taken within the first 6 hours after the onset of an acute condition, there is a danger of a violation of the integrity of the process and an outpouring of putrefactive substance in the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms to determine inflammation:
- sharp throbbing pains around the navel and in the upper part of the epigastrium, which gradually move to the lower right quarter of the abdomen;
- restriction of movement - the patient tries to take a lying position so that the painful region of the abdomen is squeezed;
- as a rule, with appendicitis, the abdomen hurts without fever, vomiting and diarrhea, but in children under 12 years of age it is often possible to observe all three symptoms at the same time.
An indicator of the increased danger of the condition is considered to be a sharp cessation of pain symptoms: a person can calmly get up and move without the slightest sign of discomfort. Such a lull directly indicates the beginning of a necrotic process in the tissues of the appendix, which will soon turn into peritonitis - the most complicated intoxication of the abdominal cavity.
As in the case of an acute condition, and in fact of complications, the diagnosis of appendicitis is an indication for urgent surgical intervention and removal of the appendix.
Other causes of abdominal cramps
Cutting in the abdomen, accompanied by an upset stomach or nausea, is also one of the indicators of a person’s nervous state. If an individual’s life passes in stressful situations, he constantly feels depressed or fear, the pain can take on a periodic nature, intensifying towards evening. In the early stages of a neurological disease, the diagnosis does not detect a pathological change in the abdominal organs, but if stressful circumstances are not eliminated, then gastritis or even stomach ulcers may develop on their background.
Another reason for harshes may be hiding in a person’s eating allergenic food, to which he has a reaction in the form of bloating, pain and gas formation. It can be milk, some fruits, offal and sweets. Often, a similar reaction can be observed after a feast with an abundance of fatty foods or even after eating ordinary dishes, from which the body has lost touch with a strict diet.
Emergency actions for severe abdominal cramps
If severe cutting pain occurs, the etiology of which has not been clarified previously, a person needs to call an ambulance, and before her arrival try to alleviate his condition:
- lie comfortably on your back;
- put on your stomach a bottle of cold water or a bag of frozen foods from the refrigerator;
- with strong pains, it is recommended to drink half a glass of cool water in sips.
If the pain is difficult to endure, it is allowed to take one No-Shpy pill, but this can be done in the most extreme case. It is advisable to avoid taking this and any other medicines in order to avoid distortion of the clinical picture of the disease.