Our navel is a kind of "topographic" point on the body. With its help it is so easy to describe the place where the abdominal pain occurred: above the navel, below it, on the left or on the right. Localization of pain can immediately make it clear which organ was affected. Also, the intensity and nature of the pain syndrome are diagnostically important.
Sources of the problem
The frequency of occurrence of abdominal pain above the navel is the most common. The obvious reason for this is that in this area are the most important organs penetrated by a huge number of nerve endings and are directly affected by a variety of foods that can affect the gastrointestinal tract in a completely unfriendly way. A good innervation of organs, in turn, contributes to the fact that the slightest negative effect immediately responds to pain.
Description of pain is an individual process. For example, a doctor may hear from a patient the following: "Strange abdominal pain above the navel." Therefore, for accurate diagnosis of the arisen violations, a number of different studies should be carried out - from a simple clinical blood test to state-of-the-art CT and MRI. And only then can we explain exactly why there was a pain in the abdomen above the navel.
Causes
Discomfort can cause stomach diseases, damage to the pancreas, duodenum, and biliary tract. Therefore, experts primarily consider complaints of abdominal pain above the navel as symptoms of diseases of the above organs.
And, of course, every ailment is manifested by a whole series of characteristic signs. The most common ailments that respond to pain above the navel are the following: gastritis, a stomach and duodenal ulcer, and cancer of the stomach.
Stomach problems
The disease begins with very harmless, as many mistakenly believe, symptoms. The mucous membrane in this disease is affected for many reasons of a different nature. The most common factor is Helicobacter pylori.
In any case, untreated gastritis risks developing into a peptic ulcer. At its core, an ulcer is an open wound. At first, it only affects the mucous membrane of a diseased organ. And then, growing like rust on iron, it “eats” already muscle tissue and vascular.
The result may be internal bleeding. If at this stage you do not engage in qualified treatment, then organ perforation is possible. At this stage, the ulcer completely destroys its wall. And this is already fraught not only with loss of blood, but also with infection of the abdominal cavity, that is, peritonitis. This is an unpleasant and very dangerous phenomenon, which even in progressive countries is characterized by mortality in 50-60% of cases. And it can all start with a symptom such as a not very severe pain in the abdomen above the navel.
What is the pain syndrome dangerous?
At the stage of gastritis, when the mucous membrane is just beginning to collapse, the patient feels discomfort and a burning sensation. Then things get worse. A sharp, throbbing, burning pain appears. Very insidious internal bleeding, possible with the development of peptic ulcer. Patients amuse themselves with the illusion that at any time they can detect them by blood clots in the feces. But from the stomach to the anus - a very long way. And the blood cells have time to decompose under the influence of gastrointestinal enzymes.
As a result, we have black feces of liquid consistency, which doctors call melena. His appearance is a signal for the patient to rush to the hospital. Otherwise, if a large vessel is affected, the diagnosis will already be confirmed by a pathologist.
Discomfort below the navel
The causes of abdominal pain below the navel are hidden in the ailments of the intestine and urogenital system. For example, acute pain in this area is characteristic of pinching a hernia of the intestine. The skin in the problem area takes on a blue tint. With peritonitis, a person experiences a sharp pain sensation.
For diverticulosis of the colon (a branch of its wall in the form of a bag) there is no special nature of the pain syndrome. With pyelonephritis, its intensity depends on the degree of kidney damage. Also, the special nature of the pain below the navel is inherent in the inflammation of appendicitis. In this case, she gives to the right side of the abdomen.
Discomfort to the left of the navel
To the whole variety of organs that can provoke pain in the abdomen, if we talk about their left localization, a spleen is also added. There are intestinal loops right there. And one of the causes of abdominal pain to the left of the navel can be an
inversion of the intestines.Very dangerous is the abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is the expansion and protrusion of a weakened place in the aortic wall. The localization of pain is observed mainly mainly to the left of the navel. Sometimes gives in the back.
Aneurysm rupture is deadly due to subsequent internal bleeding. In addition, left-sided pain can be caused by malfunctions of the stomach, liver, pancreas, lungs, ovaries, and kidneys.
Navel discomfort
Basically, periodic pain in the navel can be a consequence of chronic enteritis (inflammation of the rectum). Discomfort appears after eating. At the same time, the stomach swells, rumbles, the navel hurts and bulges. All this is a consequence of exposure to the intestinal mucosa of pathogenic microflora or worms.
The navel gives pain in inflammation of the appendix. The patient is sick, he is vomiting, and all this against a background of fever and increased heart rate.
No less dangerous than appendicitis is an infringement of the umbilical hernia. It is accompanied by constipation and bloating. With this disease, emergency surgical care is also needed.
Pain above the navel in children
Since the gastrointestinal tract in babies is not yet fully developed, abdominal pains may not always be symptoms of diseases. Sometimes these are purely functional violations of the work of this department. In infants, the tummy can be sick due to excessive gas formation, not digesting certain types of food and its components, for example, lactose. Improper feeding or an early transition to the "adult" menu can also respond with colic in babies.
When diagnosing abdominal pain, you must, among other things, take into account the age of the child. As a rule, babies do not have chronic diseases.
The most common causes of discomfort in children of various ages are constipation as a result of malnutrition. It’s not a secret to anyone that for the most part our babies are not used to the normal regimen of drinking, and they prefer harmful sweets, chips, etc. to healthy porridge.
And the older the child, the more difficult it is to establish a healthy diet if parents did not worry about this from infancy. Returning to the topic under discussion, we can say that the abdominal pain of our offspring can be removed as follows: by putting in order their daily diet.
Parents need to be wary if the pain syndrome is accompanied by other disturbing symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, etc. This already indicates not a physiological malfunction in the digestive tract, but the appearance of diseases of various organs. In principle, they are the same as in adults: gastritis, poisoning, infection, not only the stomach or intestines, but also the genitourinary system, lungs, and spleen.
The most common reason for surgical intervention in children from 5 to 15 years of age is acute appendicitis. Its clinical expression does not depend on age - acute pain, vomiting, fever.
To the above, it must be added that often pain in the abdomen in children, especially of school age, provokes a psychological factor. In this case, it is not the stomach or intestines that need to be treated, but the nervous system to be put in order. Oddly enough, such therapy will help get rid of pain above the navel.
Pain treatment
Unambiguously, it must correspond to the diagnosis established by the doctor. Therapy will be different depending on the degree of damage to a particular organ, on the localization of pain and other factors. In mild cases, it is possible to "get rid" of following a diet and adjusting the drinking regimen. But it is important to remember that the initial stage of the disease often does not cause pain.
If the discomfort becomes very strong, then, obviously, it will still require either drug treatment or surgery. In addition to appendicitis and infringement of a hernia, it can be intestinal obstruction, perforation of an ulcer, kidney stones and biliary tract.
Everyone should know the answers to questions about what to do if it hurts above the navel, and what should not be done in any case. Well, of course, you should not establish a diagnosis and prescribe treatment for yourself. This is still the prerogative of doctors.
If you experience very severe sharp pain, try not to drink painkillers before consulting a doctor. No heating pads or enemas, food or drink. Call a doctor and sit back while waiting for help. Do not tolerate pain - it was invented by nature as a signal of a malfunction in the body. And the sooner we find it, the better.