If the pain in your abdominal region is dull and persistent or sudden and severe and is also accompanied by vomiting, that's another major red flag. The combination of abdominal pain and vomiting – especially if the vomiting is intense and lasts for a prolonged period of time – could be a sign of a major complication.
Abdominal pain that gradually worsens over time may indicate a more severe illness. This pain may be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Call your doctor if you have abdominal pain that lasts 1 week or longer, if your pain doesn't improve in 24 to 48 hours, if bloating lasts more than 2 days, or if you have diarrhea for more than 5 days.
Clearly, symptoms that accompany abdominal pain are important in making an accurate diagnosis. Among the most important are nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, diarrhea, constipation, obstipation, tarry stools, chills, fever, urinary frequency, hematuria, and jaundice.
Document a differential diagnosis and discuss your reasoning regarding the likelihood (or not) of serious causes, including AAA, appendicitis, biliary tract disease, bowel obstruction, diverticulitis, ectopic pregnancy, mesenteric ischemia, MI, ovarian torsion, pancreatitis, PID, pyelonephritis, renal stone, testicular ...
Ultrasound abdomen is a helpful modality to investigate intra-abdominal pathology, particularly liver, gallbladder and renal tract, and can be used first line where malignancy is not suspected. Ultrasound evaluation of enlarged palpable lymph nodes is also useful, and opportunistic FNA may be a possibility.
There are three main types of abdominal pain: visceral, parietal, and referred pain. Visceral pain happens when the nerves that run through the walls of an organ get stretched. The pain isn't usually well localized and feels like a dull ache or cramp.
Abdominal pain can be serious, but most abdominal pain gets better on its own without needing any special treatment. Don't ignore abdominal pain — see your doctor if your symptoms are severe, get worse over time, keep coming back, or are ongoing.
Most people will go to the ER when they're having severe pain. But you should also go if you're having other symptoms, like fever, nonstop vomiting, bleeding, or fainting.
Problems with the lower GI tract can cause cramping, constipation, or diarrhea. Stomach cancer may cause symptoms similar to GI disorders. Look out for severe problems, such as bloody stool, which could be a sign of cancer or an emergency condition that requires immediate medical attention.
Severe abdominal pain may be an emergency. If your pain is sudden and severe, or if it occurs with any of the following, you should seek immediate medical attention: Persistent vomiting and nausea. Constipation (especially with vomiting)
Digestion issues, including indigestion, gas, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, and food poisoning, are all extremely common causes of stomach pain. In most cases, the discomfort will go away within a few hours or a few days. Inflammation caused by an irritation or infection.
A stomach ache is cramps or a dull ache in the tummy (abdomen). It usually does not last long and is often not serious. Severe abdominal pain is a greater cause for concern. Complete our self-help guide to check your symptoms and find out what to do next.
Your healthcare provider also looks for tenderness or pain that you might feel when they briefly push in and then quickly lift their hands off your stomach. Such pain means that the membrane that lines the belly cavity is inflamed. This often happens when the appendix is diseased.
An acute abdomen is a condition that demands urgent attention and treatment. The acute abdomen may be caused by an infection, inflammation, vascular occlusion, or obstruction. The patient will usually present with sudden onset of abdominal pain with associated nausea or vomiting.
Bowel obstructions usually cause cramping, abdominal pain, vomiting and inability to pass bowel motions (faeces or poo) or gas. A bowel obstruction is an emergency and needs treatment in hospital to prevent serious complications.
Chronic abdominal pain is pain that is present for more than three months. It may be present all the time, or it may come and go (referred to as “recurrent pain”). Causes include: Lactose intolerance. Constipation.
A knee-to-chest or side-lying position tends to decrease the intensity of abdominal pain. Raising the head of the bed may also relieve symptoms.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a non-specific inflammatory marker that is used routinely in many hospitals as an aid in the diagnosis of patients with an acute abdomen.