If you feel sick and sore in the upper abdomen in the middle, you should make an appointment with a gastroenterologist as soon as possible. If there is any doubt that the problem is related to the stomach, you can first go to the therapist. It is not worth delaying a visit to the hospital, especially if the pain comes often, it is disturbed by strong sensations. There is a possibility that the syndrome indicates a serious illness. The reasons may be different.
Relevance of the issue
At least once in a lifetime, almost any person, feeling discomfort and soreness, thought about what is in the upper abdomen in the middle. Anatomically, a person is arranged in such a way that the organs of the digestive system are located in this area, but the pain can be explained by the functioning problems of not only them, but also of a number of other organs and tissues. In some cases, the cause of the pain is serious enough so that even at the initial examination of the patient, the doctor decides in favor of hospitalization. If one is not required, the doctor will prescribe a course of therapeutic procedures, recommend medications that are effective in a particular situation. If you do not consult a doctor on time, it is possible progression of the condition, deterioration to such an extent that the consequences will be irreversible, even fatal.
You can’t say exactly and immediately what worries a person, focusing only on the sensation of pain in the upper abdomen in the middle. Diagnostics should include a comprehensive examination using special tools, laboratory tests.
It is known that cramping and pain can be triggered by hepatic, gastric diseases, pathologies of the spleen and pancreas, intestinal tract. Sometimes soreness is due to malfunction and malfunctioning of the heart, pulmonary system, and spinal column. The cause may be the esophagus, gall bladder. Soreness is direct, there is also a variant of an irradiating pain syndrome. This is revealed when the source of pain is not located where it is felt.
And most often?
In most cases, a sharp pain in the upper abdomen in the middle is due to perforation of the ulcerative process localized in the stomach or intestinal tract. Pathology develops in stages, each step is characterized by its own characteristics of pain. First, the patient is diagnosed with gastritis due to the high level of acidity of the gastric environment. The disease is characterized by an instantaneous course, accompanied by the formation of foci of ulceration. The patient feels weak, stool disorders alternate with the development of diarrhea and constipation. Ulcerative perforation indicates abundant vomiting, loss of appetite, severe heartburn. The patient is losing weight. In many respects, the clinical picture is due to the inability of the body to absorb the nutritional components that come with the products.
The most common cause of perforation is malnutrition. At risk are people who prefer spicy, spicy, fatty foods, consume excess salt, and eat dry food. The neglect of the diet, the lack of a schedule, the use of portions of different volumes can be provoked by an inconsistency, without a schedule.
Causes and consequences
In addition to improper nutrition, perforation of an ulcer can provoke infectious diseases. Pathological microflora, resistant to conditions of high acidity, can begin active development in the stomach, intestinal tract, if the patient's immunity weakens or the patient takes some medications. As a rule, analyzes show Helicobacter pylori colonies. This pathological microscopic life form depresses the body's ability to function normally, protect itself, and stimulates the aggressive effect of hydrochloric acid on the gastric mucosa.
A decrease in the body's ability to defend itself against aggressive factors is associated with bad habits. Among people seeking help and treatment of stomach ulcers, adults with symptoms of such a disease (the first of them is a sharp pain), most of those who smoke, drink alcohol. A stressful life situation can play a role. In time to determine what became the reason, how to deal with the consequences, cure the disease, you should go to the doctor's appointment. The doctor listens to the patient, gives directions for tests and instrumental studies. Even if an ulcer is suspected, additional measures need to be taken to exclude other life-threatening pathologies with similar manifestations.
Cholecystitis
Sometimes cramps in the upper abdomen in the middle indicate inflammatory processes localized in the gallbladder. This is often observed during the formation of stones in this organ. Excessive accumulation and deposition of calcium compounds, excess cholesterol or bilirubin can provoke the appearance of such structures. Cholecystitis can be suspected if the pain is disturbed by attacks, the duration of which varies from a quarter of an hour to several hours. The disease is associated with considerable risks, without adequate treatment provokes complications: peritonitis, pancreatitis, empyema. There is a possibility of an inflammatory process in the bile duct, impaired patency of the canals.
The reason is the heart
If it hurts in the upper abdomen under the ribs in the middle, perhaps the symptom indicates a heart attack. The term refers to a pathological process in which a portion of the heart muscle ceases to receive the oxygen and nutrients necessary for functioning, which leads to death. If a heart attack becomes the cause of abdominal pain , additional symptoms are possible that simplify the identification of the condition. For many, pathology is accompanied by shortness of breath, disturbing even at rest, chills. Sometimes the patient vomits, as a rule, only once. A sharp difference in body temperature is possible: it throws into heat, then everything is restored.
A heart attack often occurs against the background of overstrain, both physical and emotional, nervous. If the examination of the patient allows you to suspect a heart attack, you must immediately hospitalize the victim. The pathological condition is fraught with serious complications, fatal consequences, up to death.
Pancreatitis
The severity of the upper abdomen in the middle can be explained by just such a process. The term refers to the formation of an inflammatory focus in the pancreas. There is a higher likelihood of pathology if a person is eating incorrectly, unevenly, and often drinks heavily. Pancreatitis is a chronic disease that is prone to relapse. The acute phase is indicated by pains starting in the center of the abdomen, weakening if an antispasmodic is taken. The condition worsens after a meal in the evening.
Exacerbation is accompanied by frequent spasmodic attacks. The patient is sick, vomits (repeated acts). Without adequate medical care, there is a likelihood of dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, which provokes complications.
Violation of the size of the gaps
One of the important elements of the gastric system is the part by which food moves from the gastric cavity to the intestinal tract. If the size of the clearance decreases sharply, obstruction occurs, normal motility is impaired. The condition can be suspected if there is spasmodic pain in the upper abdomen in the middle. Soreness becomes stronger after a meal. The more a person eats, the more tangible and longer the pain will be. Most are diagnosed with belching, heartburn. The patient often feels sick, vomit has a pronounced sour taste.
Pathology of the spleen
If pain in the upper abdomen in the middle is associated with this cause, sensations are localized on the right side of the body, in the hypochondrium. There are several diseases associated with the spleen. All of them manifest themselves with similar symptoms. Quite often, patients reveal splenomegaly, hypertrophic processes of transformation of the spleen. There is a possibility of suppuration, rupture of the organ. A heart attack localized in the spleen is possible.
Hernia
This condition is often observed against the background of a weakening of the muscular skeleton responsible for the normal performance of the esophagus. The lumen of the diaphragm is broken, due to which there is a displacement of the internal structures. This condition is indicated by pain after eating. After some time, the sensations pass on their own. An additional symptomatology of a hernia is belching, heartburn. Many vomits greatly, the rhythm and heartbeat rate are disrupted. Possible loss of appetite, sudden weight loss. As a rule, pathology is accompanied by severe shortness of breath.
What else is possible?
Sometimes the pain is due to an earlier injury. This is possible, for example, in an accident, a conflict that has come to a fight in which a person received a blow. Even a relatively weak physical effect can cause injury to the internal organ. Sometimes the reason is strong shaking. Due to this effect, the spleen and liver may burst, there is a risk of a rib fracture, internal foci of hemorrhage may appear, and hematomas form. As a rule, after an injury, the pain is dull.
However, most often pain indicates the need for treatment of stomach ulcers. Symptoms in adults and children are found in most cases precisely because of peptic ulcer in acute form, which requires immediate medical attention. Without adequate support with procedures and medicines, perforation with the penetration of gastric and intestinal contents into the abdominal cavity is possible.
In some cases, pain indicates poisoning, poor nutrition, porphyria. Soreness is possible with systemic overeating, hepatitis and vertebral disorders. There is a possibility of pleurisy, pneumonia. Sometimes abdominal pain is a sign of osteochondrosis.
Check and clarify everything
Having become a victim of pain, you should figure out which doctor to contact. A pain in the upper abdomen in the middle can be studied by a gastroenterologist, revealing why they appeared. Sometimes the therapist refers to a surgeon or cardiologist. In especially severe cases, the patient is put in intensive care. If the cause of the pain becomes an infection, an infectious disease specialist will come to the rescue.
The doctor knows exactly what to do. Pain in the upper abdomen in the middle requires a preliminary examination of the condition, since many diseases manifest themselves as such a symptom. First of all, the doctor palpates the painful area at the initial appointment and assesses what the patient’s skin looks like, what is the general state of health. The patient is given directions for tests of urine, feces, blood. It is necessary to check the biochemical parameters, the content of individual blood cells. An electrocardiogram is made to assess the condition of the heart, and an x-ray is taken to check internal organs. Many are prescribed ultrasound and FGDS.
It is necessary to realize that pain is often provoked by dangerous factors that threaten the health and life of a person, therefore it is impossible to independently treat pain at home, taking antispasmodics. To avoid complications, you should come to the reception as soon as possible. In some cases, the doctor will consider that sparing treatment will be enough, others may be prescribed urgent surgery.
Features of pain
If the pains in the upper abdomen in the middle are localized in the fourth interval between the ribs, most likely the cause is gastric pathology. A sharp sensation usually indicates the penetration of chemically aggressive substances into the digestive system. A similar symptom is poisoning. Severity, bursting may be signs of decreased activity of the pancreas. Similar phenomena are indicated by pyloric stenosis. If the soreness is dull, it aches in the stomach , probably the reason is different, because such sensations rarely accompany malfunctions of the secretory ability of organs.
The pains in the upper abdomen in the middle can be very strong, moderate in moderation, and quite weak. The latter option in most cases indicates gastritis. Many do not go to the doctor, so the disease progresses without treatment, the condition worsens. In some cases, mild pain indicates an ulcer. Sometimes cancerous processes at first manifest themselves with just such a symptom. The longer discomfort worries, the more important it is to get an appointment as soon as possible.
Opportunities and Cases
If the pains in the upper abdomen in the middle are severe, you can confidently talk about severe peptic ulcer. It is likely that foci of ulceration are simultaneously observed in the stomach and intestinal tract.
A state of increased danger includes soreness, described as a dagger. The sensation in most cases indicates a perforation of the ulcer, in which the contents of the gastric system are in the abdominal cavity. If you suspect this condition, you must urgently call an ambulance team.
The doctor, figuring out what caused the pain, will necessarily ask the patient about the relationship of sensation and eating. For example, if discomfort comes when a person has not eaten for a long time, leaves after a meal, you can diagnose a high level of acidity of the gastric environment. In case of unpleasant sensations after eating, the cause is likely to be gastritis, which has turned into a chronic form. With a gastric ulcer, pain appears after a couple of hours after a meal, with an intestinal ulcer - if the pauses between meals are long. In addition, an exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease is observed with physical exertion, intense experience, stress.
How serious is it?
Doctors say that pains in the upper abdomen in the middle at least once occurred in the life of any person. If the sensations are strong and sharp, the duration of the attack reaches half an hour or lasts even longer, you must call the first aid team. If there is a possibility and the condition of the patient allows this, you can take the patient to the nearest clinic. It is likely that a person needs surgery.
If pain bothers, you can not massage the pathological area. If there is internal bleeding, the condition can worsen significantly. For the same reason, you can not apply a heating pad to a sick stomach. However, sometimes the pain factor is excessive food intake. There are foods that are difficult to digest by the human body. If there were a lot of those in the food or the food was saturated with fats, the probability of pain in the stomach is higher. A similar symptom is the use of products containing gluten or lactose, if the human body does not tolerate these substances. Sometimes the pain is caused by the absorption of food, which provokes increased gas formation. The symptom is relatively weak, disappears after an hour or two.
Oncology as a cause
Sometimes aching pain in the upper abdomen in the middle signals a cancer. Among other reasons, this particular one is relatively rare, but almost always the patient is referred for specialized analyzes in order to exclude such a development of events. Cancer is one of the worst diagnoses. If there is a suspicion of oncology, it is necessary to go through all the tests as soon as possible to make the most accurate diagnosis, start treatment, following the program developed by the doctor. Malignant formations can produce metastases in unpredictable, distant parts of the body. Without proper and timely treatment, the likelihood of death is significantly increased.
Many rightly believe that cancer is the worst explanation for soreness in the stomach. Recently, malignant neoplasms in the gastrointestinal tract have become more common, some attribute this system to the three most frequent variants of localization of atypical cells. Worldwide, the number of cancer victims is increasing from year to year. Esophageal cancer, among other malignant gastrointestinal pathologies, is relatively rare. Higher risks if a person eats improperly. The more red meat, fried, fatty is consumed, the greater the danger. The danger of a malignant process and the frequency, volumes of alcohol consumed by a person correlate.
It is suggested that the likelihood of developing cancer of the esophagus may be associated with carcinogenic food additives, but no reliable studies have been conducted on this subject at the moment. Coloring, aromatic substances, preservatives are in almost any food that is on store shelves. . , , , .
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As can be learned from medical statistics, many patients do not pay attention to the primary manifestations of the disease, and they come to the doctor when the pathology has already progressed to the third, sometimes fourth stage. One of the problems of the cancer process in the esophagus is the high rate of progression of the pathology. Doctors recommend that, at the first manifestations of discomfort, stable unpleasant symptoms, undergo a comprehensive examination, which will help eliminate any suspicions or confirm the disease. So, it will be possible to start treatment in a timely manner.