Everything That Results In Persistent Stomach Pains
Almost everyone has experienced pain in the stomach. Although an upset stomach can be the reaction to a range of reasons, many times it’s due to something that the victim ate. Many times a simple bowel movement will be enough to eliminate the stomach pain; especially if it has been brought on by something that was ingested. If gas producing foods have been recently ingested a stomach ache of some degree may be forthcoming as well.
In other cases, the cause may be something less benign. stomach pain may be due to an inflamed or distended organ in the abdominal area. In fact the pain may not be precisely coming from the stomach at all; it may be originating from the spleen, gallbladder, pancreas, liver, or either of the intestinal tracts. Abdominal pain can be felt as a result of an issue from within the stomach or any of the surrounding organs. The problem may be inflammation, distention, or loss of blood supply to any of the organs.
Appendicitis, diverticulitis, and colitis are common problems in the stomach region that are associated with some type of inflammation. Meanwhile, examples of problems due to stretching or distention of organs are the swelling of the liver due to hepatitis, an obstruction in the intestines, and gallstones that block the bile duct. Ischemic colitis or similar issue is the result of a loss or inadequate supply of blood being circulated in the organ and is quite painful.
Although these scenarios are common, there are a variety of medical conditions that can result in stomach pains other than distention, inflammation, or a blood supply problem. Such is the case in a little understood disorder called irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. Intestinal muscles that contract abnormally and cause pain is the common symptom of IBS sufferers. Nerves located in the intestinal tract can become extremely sensitive and cause pain; even though there is no discernable reason present. Known as visceral hypersensitivity, this condition and the pain it causes is classified as a functional pain…. pain that is present even though there is no apparent cause of it.
As you can tell, there are any number of factors that can cause stomach pain, and as such it is very important that the actual root cause be pinpointed. A proper treatment for the pain becomes much more quickly available once the actual source of the pain has been properly diagnosed by your doctor.
Your doctor will need to know such details as, when the pain began, the location of the pain, how frequent and how long it lasts, and if you can tell what seems to set it off or even temporarily relieve it. All these, called the pain characteristics, are important information that helps in diagnosing the condition.
Under many scenarios, your doctor will want to conduct a thorough examination and possibly even lab or radiological tests. Although rare, surgery may be needed in order to determine the exact cause of the stomach pain. Diagnosis of stomach pain can, at times, be very challenging simply because of all the different possibilities that can relate to illnesses and conditions of the various bodily organs. Even this can be complicated even further by the fact that the pain may not have any usual type of manifestation (atypical) or even be changing as time goes by.
Sometimes even with a thorough exam and laboratory testing, the patient may appear to be normal even though the persistent pain would indicate otherwise. Regardless of what may or may not be causing the pain, persistent or severe Stomach pains are something that you should consult with your doctor about.
by GoodHealth on February 4th, 2011 Tags: Bile Duct, Blood Supply, Bowel Movement, Discernable Reason, Distention, diverticulitis, Gallstones, Gas Producing Foods, Inadequate Supply, Intestinal Muscles, Intestinal Tract, Intestinal Tracts, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Loss Of Blood, stomach ache, stomach pain, stomach pains, Swelling Of The Liver, Upset Stomach, Visceral Hypersensitivity
Posted in Health and Fitness | No Comments »