Acute pain in the stomach is one of the symptoms of many different diseases. Moreover, sometimes it is not associated with this digestive process, but indicates problems with other organs. So, what can the appearance of this symptom indicate, and how can one find out its cause, and, besides, what should be taken to relieve this sensation?
What are the causes of stomach pain?
The first question that the doctor asks the patient will certainly concern the nature of acute pain in the stomach. The patient's response can tell a lot about the ailment that caused the onset of pain. What could be the reasons?
- The appearance of pain, which occurs suddenly, often indicates the presence of pancreatitis, cholecystitis and a duodenal ulcer. The causes of acute pain in the stomach may be other.
- The occurrence of sharp and sudden pain can be caused by chemical burns of the mucous membranes. And, in addition, this can be triggered by poisoning. Also, acute pain and a stomach ulcer are closely related.
- The presence of very severe sharp pain, which patients describe with the words “as if they stuck a knife,” is often the result of the development of ulcerative perforation. And what does acute stomach pain after eating mean?
- The burning sensation is especially characteristic of gastritis and ulcers. In turn, the appearance of dull and aching pain reports gastritis and an ulcer, but already at a chronic or initial stage of the disease. Against the background of gastritis, a clear connection with nutrition can be traced. Pain occurs either immediately after a meal or when the patient is fairly hungry. Spicy food causes pain in the stomach very often.
- The occurrence of spasmodic pain of a cramping nature is often a symptom of an ulcer or inflammation of the duodenum. Such feelings often disturb people at night or several hours after the last meal.
- The occurrence of acute pain in the stomach, but at the same time short-term, for a few seconds, manifested by inspiration or a change in position, is a sign of the presence of diaphragm spasms, which appear due to the presence of inflammation or unhealthy blood circulation.
- The presence of constant mild aching pain in the stomach often accompanies the presence of malignant neoplasms. As well as polyps. If cancer spreads to the pancreas, the pain can become shingles.
- The appearance of severe cramping pain is most characteristic of infections that occur in the digestive system.
- The occurrence of sharp acute pain in the stomach or in the upper abdomen, weakening after a couple of days, but remaining constant, is a fairly characteristic symptom of the presence of pathologies in the large intestine. In particular, this happens against the background of colitis.
- The appearance of severe pain in the navel, moving for several hours to the upper abdomen on the right, may indicate appendicitis.
These are not all the causes of acute pain in the stomach. Sometimes this symptom can accompany other diseases, for example, irritable bowel syndrome along with thrombosis of its vessels, dissection of the abdominal aorta, intestinal obstruction, stomach injuries, coronary heart disease, some nervous diseases and allergic reactions, and the like.
Most of the pathologies that are accompanied by this symptom are very serious, therefore, they require immediate medical attention. It is worth noting that in some situations the word “immediate” carries a literal meaning, for example, against the background of appendicitis, ulcerative perforations and severe poisoning. In such conditions, the count goes on the clock, and a little delay can be fatal.
What to do with acute pain in the stomach?
Whatever the acute pain in the stomach is caused, you can not be treated on your own. Even experienced doctors with many years of practice cannot diagnose with full certainty only on the basis of external symptoms and signs. And for people without a medical education, this is all the more difficult.
The number of first aid options that can be provided in the presence of acute pain in the stomach is small. The best thing a person can do before the arrival of a doctor is to take some kind of antispasmodic or analgesic. For example, against the background of heartburn, antacids are taken, that is, drugs that reduce acidity. Antisecretory medications that inhibit acid production are also suitable. It should be noted that heartburn is not always associated with the presence of increased acidity, so the use of such funds can become not only useless, but also worsen an already unhealthy condition.
But what to do with acute pain in the stomach, not everyone knows.
I must say that people should be careful with drugs, since any action of drugs distorts the symptoms, creating difficulties in diagnosing. You should be aware that modern pain medication is very effective and therefore can completely eliminate pain in the stomach for a long time. This in turn will create a false impression regarding recovery, because the disease itself does not disappear. Removing acute pains in the stomach and vomiting with the help of tablets, a person only loses his precious time, since heals the result, and not the cause of the pathology.
It is important to emphasize that in no case can you use a heating pad in order to alleviate a painful condition in the stomach. In some diseases, heat can really help by relieving pain, but in other cases, this measure significantly speeds up the pathology process, further worsening the condition. For example, heat should not be used in the presence of purulent inflammation, as well as bleeding.
What should the patient certainly tell the doctor?
The patient can help his doctor with the diagnosis. For this, you may need to provide as complete information as possible regarding your condition. Therefore, immediately before admission to the clinic, you need to try to formulate and remember the following in the most detail:
- What were the circumstances of the occurrence of acute pain in the stomach (whether there were unpleasant sensations before or during a meal, day or night). You should also remember her character (whether it was sudden or gradually increasing, aching, sharp, burning, cramping). It is very important to report whether the source of pain was moving, and if so, how it happened.
- If stomach pain often occurs after an acute one, the diet in the last days is very important (what and how much a person ate). In addition, it is worth talking about the list of medicines taken the day before, including biological supplements along with vitamin complexes.
- Any additional symptoms. The doctor should know if the patient has experienced nausea with vomiting, bitterness in the mouth, diarrhea, or constipation. It should be remembered whether belching was present along with bloating, blood or mucus in the stool, rash, fever, shortness of breath, palpitations and dizziness. And also any other sensations in the form of headaches, muscle or joint pains matter.
- Change in health status. It happens that a person has a stomach ache with acute pain amid stress. It also includes pregnancy along with childbirth, lactation, menopause and so on. It should be remembered about all recent illnesses, nervous shocks, episodes of severe overwork. Factors such as, for example, a sharp weight gain along with causeless weight loss, the development of anxiety and depression, and changes in the usual way of life are very significant.
Systematization of this information will serve as the best help that a person can render to himself. But directly diagnosis with treatment should be carried out exclusively by a qualified specialist.
Diagnosis of pain in the stomach
Diagnosis of diseases that cause acute pain in the stomach begins, first of all, with a survey of the patient himself. Just in this case, all the above information is very useful. This is followed by an external examination, including palpation of the abdomen, along with listening to the heart rhythm and lung function. Then the doctor without fail sends the patient for delivery of biological material for laboratory analysis. Typically, this list includes analysis of urine and feces along with a general and biochemical blood test. In addition, a study of gastric juice is required.
For accurate diagnosis, instrumental studies are necessary. For example, an ultrasound scan of the abdominal region, an x-ray using contrast, and, in addition, computed and magnetic resonance imaging. Often, the diagnosis becomes clear immediately after basic research. Less often, doctors require more serious measures in the form of laparoscopy, in which, through a small incision, a microcamera is inserted into the hollow organs on a flexible probe, allowing the doctor to visually assess the patient's condition.
Treatment of this pathology
The treatment regimen for acute pain in the stomach directly depends on the causes that caused such an unpleasant sensation. Consider the principles of treatment for the most common causes of acute pain in this organ.
Therapy of pain in the stomach: the fight against heartburn
Heartburn is a burning sensation behind the sternum in the upper abdomen. Its cause is the ingress of contents from the stomach into the esophagus. Mostly it manifests itself thirty minutes after eating. Heartburn is not an independent disease, but acts as a symptom of such ailments as gastritis along with duodenitis, stomach ulcer, cholecystitis and so on. Heartburn can be confused with the manifestations of certain heart diseases - with angina pectoris and hypertension, in which a similar sensation also arises, in no way related to digestion. But mainly heartburn is the result of gastritis or peptic ulcer.
Ways to eliminate heartburn are to treat the underlying disease that caused it. In addition, a special diet is recommended. For example, to eat against the background of any type of heartburn, you should often - five to six times a day, but little by little, excluding completely fatty, spicy and smoked-salty foods along with carbonated drinks, alcohol, legumes and vegetables containing fiber. In the event that heartburn is associated with acidity, antacids with antisecretory drugs are prescribed.
Therapy of pain in the stomach: the fight against gastritis
Gastritis is called inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Its development is provoked by frequent stresses, pathological microflora, metabolic disorders, any chronic infectious pathologies along with excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, autoimmune diseases, long-term use of certain types of medications, and so on.
As part of the treatment of acute stomach pain caused by gastritis, you can not use drugs that are based on acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen. Such substances are effective painkillers. But they significantly irritate the gastric mucosa. Usually, in these cases, patients are prescribed absorbents and agents that envelop the stomach from the inside. In the event that gastritis was caused by bacterial lesions, a course of antibiotics is necessary. A diet on the background of gastritis requires the rejection of spicy and fatty foods, and, in addition, from foods that are rich in fiber. You can not eat with gastritis and dishes that can cause fermentation processes, for example, such as milk and bakery products with some fruits.
Gastric ulcer treatment
Without proper therapy, gastritis can lead to ulcers. A stomach ulcer develops due to the known bacteria Helicobacter pylori. It can also be provoked by the regular intake of large doses of drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid. Stress, as thought for a long time, is not able to cause an ulcer on its own, but it helps to accelerate the development of this disease. Against the background of an ulcer, acute and burning pain in the stomach occurs about four hours after eating, localized in the middle of the abdomen and accompanied by belching along with a feeling of heaviness. Vomiting or nausea is also likely.
A stomach ulcer is a dangerous disease that can lead to complications in the form of bleeding and peritonitis. Therefore, therapy for this disease should be started immediately. Usually, antibiotics are prescribed to patients to kill dangerous bacteria. Anti-inflammatory medications may also be prescribed along with antacids to reduce acidity. There are complex drugs that simultaneously kill Helicobacter pylori and protect the gastric mucosa.
Diet against a background of peptic ulcer consists of low-fat food. In this case, you need to take products only in a grated form, since chewing by itself stimulates the production of gastric juice.
You can not tolerate this unpleasant symptom!
It must be borne in mind that acute pain in the stomach cannot be tolerated. Moreover, one should not suppress it with pills and try to cure it with folk remedies. Many diseases that cause such pain are very rapid development. In this regard, the sooner a person seeks medical help, the higher his chances of recovery.
For example, appendicitis is one of the most common diseases faced by doctors from the emergency surgery department. A timely operation aimed at removing the appendix is a relatively simple procedure, and the prognosis itself after such an application is usually favorable.
Conclusion
Thus, acute pain in the stomach indicates a slight malfunction in the body or the presence of extremely serious pathologies. In any case, it is unacceptable to ignore such pain.
So, in this article we examined the main causes of acute pain in the stomach.