When a person is hungry, pain can occur not only in the stomach, but also in the right side and even in the head. Such symptoms can indicate both the development of a serious pathology, and can be a signal that you just need to eat urgently. How to understand how dangerous this condition is and when to sound the alarm? For what reasons does the stomach hurt when hungry? How are various pathologies associated with such characteristic symptoms diagnosed and treated? You will find the answers to all these questions in the article.
Causes of Starvation Pain
Probably, many experienced a condition when the stomach hurts, as if hungry. This symptom is well known to people who follow low-calorie diets, but it is also characteristic in the presence of various diseases.
The causes of pain may be different:
- infection with parasites (ascariasis, opisthorchiasis, etc.);
- nervous shocks, stressful situations and mental disorders;
- hormonal disorders;
- failure of the motility of the digestive system;
- high content of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice;
- deviations in diet ("hungry" diets).
However, the main cause of this kind of symptomatology is ulcerative pathology of the duodenum and stomach.
Etiology and classification of hungry stomach pains
Most often, if the stomach hurts when it is hungry, the reason lies in the development of peptic ulcer. It is impossible to ignore such symptoms, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
This kind of pain in medicine is called gastralgia. Symptoms occur if:
- impaired motility of the digestive organs;
- sensitive receptors located in the zone of ulcerative lesion are irritated;
- a large amount of hydrochloric acid is released in the stomach;
- in the zone of ulcerative lesions, spastic contractions of the muscle tissues of the organ occur.
Manifestations such as a stomach ache when hungry relate to specific symptoms. Doctors classify pain as:
- sucking - occur in the case of erosive changes in the organ;
- pulling - may appear some time after eating;
- pulsating - occur when the smooth muscles of the organ contract;
- burning - a burning sensation occurs in case of an increase in the level of hydrochloric acid.
Symptomatology
Why does the stomach hurt when hungry? Most likely, this is a signal that a person has a pre-ulcerated condition. Such painful sensations, as a rule, are accompanied by additional symptoms:
- decreased appetite;
- nausea;
- bouts of vomiting of acidic masses;
- heartburn due to increased acidity of the stomach;
- belching;
- discomfort behind the sternum;
- violation of the stool (constipation).
Morning pain
The occurrence of pain in the morning most often indicates the development of an erosive-ulcerative process in the duodenum. In most cases, the symptom appears from 3 nights to 5 in the morning. It is enough for a person to drink some water or milk to eliminate the pain. Also, relief can occur after the occurrence of a gag reflex. A high level of acidity in the stomach leads to irritation of the nerve endings located in the organ. Because of this, pain occurs. In the process of vomiting, the high acidity of the gastric juice decreases, which brings relief. It is important to remember that if your stomach hurts when you are hungry, you cannot ignore this signal. Such symptoms are characteristic of peptic ulcer, therefore, the faster the disease is diagnosed and treatment is started, the better the prognosis for recovery.
Night pains
Pain arising in the abdomen at night is very likely to indicate the presence of a duodenal ulcer or stomach (in the antrum). In order to diagnose the disease, it is necessary to undergo an examination - fibrogastroduodenoscopy. This study allows you to identify the location of the ulcerative lesion and assess the patient's condition. In some cases, during the procedure, biomaterial is taken for biopsy. This is necessary in order to exclude cancer.
Treatment
A quite natural question arises: "If the stomach hurts on an empty stomach, what should I do?" First of all, you should visit a gastroenterologist as soon as possible, because in most cases the reason for the appearance of such symptoms lies in the presence of diseases that are treated by this particular doctor.
Therapeutic treatment includes:
- Medications that normalize gastric motility and the digestive system. Such funds include Cerucal, Metoclopramide, and others.
- Anesthetics "Ibuprofen", "Analgin", "Nimesulide" and others.
- Antisecretory drugs that help lower acidity. Most often, proton pump blockers are prescribed, since they are most effective. Such drugs include Omeprazole, Lansoprazole, Pantoprazole.
- Antispasmodics are prescribed to eliminate muscle spasm.
When a helicobacter is detected, the doctor prescribes an antibacterial agent to which the bacterium is sensitive.
Pain in the right side
Perhaps you have encountered such a problem when your side hurts on an empty stomach. There can be many reasons for this, from diseases of the abdominal organs to diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. First of all, you need to diagnose the problem, and only then proceed with the treatment of pathology. The therapeutic course may include medication (tablets, intravenous and intramuscular injections, droppers), physiotherapy and other techniques. You can determine the disease by certain symptoms, as well as by the location and nature of the pain.
Where exactly does it hurt and what is the characteristic of pain?
It is necessary to establish in which area there is discomfort in the right side: from the back or abdomen. Three types of pain are determined at the site of localization:
- iliac;
- hypochondrium;
- lateral.
Pain in the right hypochondrium can be a signal of serious pathologies of the internal organs of the abdominal region and lungs. Symptoms may occur in disorders of the nervous system. Also, often the pain radiates to the right hypochondrium for diseases of the heart, spine and pelvic organs. With increased physical exertion, this symptom is not uncommon, but in this case, the painful sensation quickly disappears.
If the right side hurts on an empty stomach, this may indicate the development of one of the pathologies:
- Diseases of the gallbladder: biliary dyskinesia, cholecystitis, gallstone disease.
- Pancreatic diseases: pancreatitis, neoplasms (benign and malignant).
- Liver pathologies: hepatitis, cirrhosis.
- Intestinal diseases: ulcer, appendicitis, various disorders in the functioning of the small intestine.
- Diaphragm pathologies: diaphragmatitis, hernias, tumors.
- Diseases of the right lung: oncology, pneumonia, pleurisy.
As you can see, the range of the problem is very wide, so identifying the problem yourself is extremely difficult. It is impossible to determine the diagnosis without the help of a qualified specialist.
If pain occurs in the right hypochondrium, from the back, this can signal problems with the kidneys and the development of pathologies such as pyelonephritis and urolithiasis.
Abdominal pain at the waist level can occur for a number of different reasons:
- an unbalanced diet, leading to excessive gas formation in the digestive tract;
- diseases of the genitourinary system (cystitis);
- diseases of the spine (protrusion, dorsopathy).
Diagnostics
In a person, when he is hungry, stomach pain can occur for various reasons. It is only one of the manifestations, so you need to take into account the concomitant symptoms of the condition.
One of the most common gastrointestinal diseases is a stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer. If you do not treat the disease in a timely manner, it can lead to serious complications in the form of penetration of an ulcer or gastric bleeding, which in turn can be fatal.
Depending on the symptoms, the doctor prescribes the diagnosis:
- General and biochemical analysis of blood.
- General urine analysis.
- Fibrogastroduodenoscopy.
- Ultrasound examination of the peritoneal organs.
- CT or MRI (with and without contrast).
- Analysis for the detection of Helicobacter pylori and the presence of antibodies to bacteria (IgM, IgG) in the blood.
- Biopsy.
- X-ray of the digestive tract with contrast.
- Analysis of blood serum on the level of pepsinogen and gastrin.
- A blood test for antibodies to the parietal cells of the stomach.
- Colonoscopy
- Sigmoidoscopy.
- A blood test for hepatitis.
- Examination of feces for the presence of eggs of worms and many others.
Based on clinical studies, the doctor diagnoses and prescribes treatment. In some cases, it is enough to undergo a medical course of therapy, with more serious pathologies, surgical treatment may be recommended.
Hungry headaches
Many people are familiar with a situation when the stomach hurts during hunger, but few people know that if you do not eat for a long period, pain may occur in the head. Since there are a huge number of reasons for the appearance of migraines, you should learn to recognize the symptoms.
“Hungry” pains have their own characteristics:
- they are of light or medium intensity;
- the place of localization is the forehead, the pain can spread smoothly around the entire perimeter of the head;
- pain is uniform, pulsation is not observed.
How to recognize that the head hurts on an empty stomach? For example, if such sensations arose during the fasting period, and after its completion, the person’s condition returned to normal within 2-3 days, that is, the pain symptom disappeared - this is a clear signal that this is the cause of the malaise. A concomitant symptom may be weakness.
Since each organism is individual, in some people the head begins to hurt after 15-16 hours without food, in others after only 5-6 hours.
Why does hunger headache?
Many people are not surprised why the stomach hurts when hungry, while the painful sensations in the head associated with the lack of food cause a huge number of questions. In fact, everything is very simple: for the normal functioning of the brain, glucose is needed, which a person receives from food. The brain cells are not able to accumulate carbohydrates, so they need to be replenished regularly, otherwise the person will get nervous and tired, dull attention and also a headache.
There is another version of the occurrence of pain in the head during hunger. It is believed that such a symptom occurs due to the intense activity of the hypothalamus. It is in this part of the brain that the center is located, which is responsible for the feeling of fullness and hunger. It is likely that with prolonged starvation, the hypothalamus functions too intensively, which is why such an unpleasant symptom as a headache arises.
How to get rid of pain?
To stop the "hungry" pain, it is enough to eat. However, it is important to know that not all products will be useful in such a situation. For example, it is contraindicated to use chocolate and other simple carbohydrates, as they quickly break down in the body. Judging by the reviews, you should also not eat hard cheeses. Tyramine, which is part of this product, contributes to an increase in blood pressure, which in turn provokes the occurrence of headaches. Various semi-finished products should also be discarded.
The best option is to satisfy your hunger with protein foods in combination with vegetables. You can eat dishes of fish and cereals. Useful in this case, dairy and dairy foods. You need to eat as many foods containing magnesium as possible - these are leguminous plants, green vegetables, and various nuts.
If the pain occurred while observing the diet, perhaps the set of products that is suggested in it may not suit you. It is advisable to consult a nutritionist.
If even after you eat, your head continues to hurt, you need to take an anesthetic that contains metamizole or paracetamol. Antispasmodics for “hungry” headaches are not recommended, since their action is aimed at vasodilation.