If you are suffering from severe stomach pain reasons and want to know the reason behind your severe stomach pain then you should consult your doctor.
Sudden severe abdominal pain (also known as acute abdominal pain) is a symptom of many diseases. This is pain that is sudden and intense. Sometimes the discomfort increases over a few days.
Usually, the pain is well-limited and increases with coughing, movements, or changes in body position. Such pain usually indicates an acute disease that requires urgent medical intervention (including emergency surgery, in certain cases).
There are many possible causes of sudden severe stomach pain. The most common of them are intra-abdominal or pelvic diseases, e.g .:
- appendicitis,
- gastrointestinal perforation,
- diverticulitis of the large intestine,
- acute gastroenteritis,
- biliary colic,
- cholecystitis,
- acute cholangitis,
- pancreatitis,
- kidney stones,
- acute pyelonephritis,
- acute cystitis,
- embolism of the mesenteric artery
- visceral vein thrombosis,
- abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Additionally, in women, acute abdominal pain may be caused by:
- acute adnexitis,
- Ectopic pregnancy,
- a torsion or cyst of the appendages.
- Sometimes, sudden, severe abdominal pain is a symptom of metabolic or non-abdominal diseases, such as:
- heart attack
- inflammation of the heart muscle or pericardium,
- pneumonia and pleura,
- pulmonary embolism,
- increased levels of calcium in the blood
- thyroid or adrenal crisis,
- food hypersensitivity,
- porphyria,
- Ketoacidosis.
There are many more causes of acute abdominal pain, so diagnosing the causes of pain may not be easy.
How common is sudden severe stomach pain?
Sudden severe abdominal pain is relatively common. Considering how many diseases can lead to acute abdominal pain, it would be fair to say that most patients experience it at least once in their life.
When does sudden severe stomach pain appear?
Acute abdominal pain is characterized by sudden onset. It is usually severe, well-defined pain felt most strongly in the affected area. It worsens with movements, coughing, breathing deeply, or changing body position.
The pain may be accompanied by other symptoms, e.g. fever, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, or pain while urinating.
When examining a patient with acute abdominal pain, the doctor may find increased abdominal muscle tone, as well as other abnormalities depending on the cause of the symptoms (e.g. palpable resistance in the abdominal cavity in the case of a tumor, symptoms typical of renal colic or cholecystitis).
What to do in the event of sudden severe stomach pain?
In the event of sudden, severe abdominal pain, you should urgently consult a doctor. If the symptoms increase within a few days and are not very severe, you can first visit your family doctor, who will decide on the need for further diagnostics and treatment. However, if the pain is very severe and is accompanied by other disturbing symptoms, you should go to the hospital or call an ambulance.
How does a doctor make a diagnosis of sudden severe stomach pain?
Gastro specialist in Coimbatore diagnoses acute abdominal pain based on the complaints reported by the patient and physical examination of the abdomen. Sudden severe abdominal pain is only a non-specific symptom of many diseases.
Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose the cause of the pain. For this purpose, it is usually necessary to perform laboratory tests (including morphology, C-reactive protein, urinalysis, and others depending on the specific clinical situation) and imaging tests.
The basic imaging test is an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Sometimes it is also necessary to perform other tests, e.g. abdominal CT scan, abdominal X-ray, or chest X-ray.
What are the treatments for sudden severe stomach pain?
Treatment of acute abdominal pain depends on the underlying cause. Symptomatically, each patient can be treated with painkillers. In addition, antibiotic therapy or other causal measures (e.g. treatment of a heart attack manifesting as epigastric pain) may be necessary.
Some diseases manifested by acute abdominal pain require surgical treatment (e.g. abdominal aortic aneurysm, gastrointestinal perforation, or acute appendicitis).
Is It Possible To Heal Sudden Severe Abdominal Pain Completely?
Acute abdominal pain usually disappears after symptomatic treatment (painkillers, diastolic drugs). However, it is mainly important to effectively treat the cause of pain. In general, treatment with the appropriate treatment will cure the patient.
However, some diseases manifested by severe abdominal pain should be considered life-threatening, e.g. abdominal aortic aneurysm, or mesenteric artery embolism.
What should I do after treatment for sudden severe abdominal pain is finished?
Further treatment depends on the cause of the acute abdominal pain. Some patients may not require further diagnosis and treatment (e.g. a single episode of acute cystitis in an otherwise healthy woman).
However, most patients will need to be checked at a primary health care clinic or appropriate specialist clinics. The frequency of visits and control tests is determined individually by the attending gastro specialists.
