Do you think that stomach pain will go away if you just endure it? Be careful! These types of stomach pain are particularly dangerous...

Expert of this article: Zhao Weitong, attending physician of the Affiliated Hospital of the NCO School of the Army Medical University (formerly the 260th Hospital), Master

Reviewer of this article: Hao Liangcheng, deputy chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology, Shenzhen Fourth People's Hospital, master's student

What do you do when you have a stomachache?

Maybe you didn’t eat the right food, drink some hot water!

It should be temporary, just bear with it for a while.

Just take some painkillers.

Something doesn't feel right. Why don't you go to the hospital?

Abdominal pain happens from time to time in daily life, sometimes it hurts in the upper left side, sometimes it hurts in the middle, but many people don't know what causes it. However, some abdominal pain may indicate the occurrence of disease. Today, let's take a look at what kind of abdominal pain we need to be vigilant about.

What may cause stomach pain?

Abdominal pain is medically called abdominal pain. Most abdominal pain is caused by diseases of abdominal organs, but it can also be caused by extra-abdominal diseases and systemic diseases. The nature and degree of abdominal pain are related to the nature and severity of the lesion, and are also affected by the neurological and psychological levels. According to the pathogenesis, it can be divided into visceral pain, somatic pain and referred pain.

Abdominal pain is divided into acute abdominal pain and chronic abdominal pain.

Acute abdominal pain

The pain is usually sharp, including cramping, cutting, burning, and severe pain, including:

Acute inflammation of abdominal organs

Acute gastroenteritis (left upper abdominal cramps), acute appendicitis (right lower abdominal cramps), acute cholecystitis (right upper abdominal cramps), acute pancreatitis (severe pain under the xiphoid process), etc.

Torsion or rupture of an organ

Intestinal torsion (periumbilical colic), digestive tract perforation (knife-like pain in the upper abdomen), ovarian cyst pedicle torsion (lower abdominal colic), liver and spleen rupture (severe pain in the upper abdomen), ectopic pregnancy rupture (severe pain in the lower abdomen), etc.

Abdominal vascular disease

Mesenteric embolism (severe pain in the whole abdomen), abdominal aortic aneurysm (severe pain in the upper, middle and lower abdomen), abdominal aortic dissection (severe pain in the upper, middle and lower abdomen), portal vein thrombosis (severe pain in the whole abdomen), etc.;

Abdominal wall diseases

Abdominal wall contusion, abdominal wall skin herpes zoster, etc.;

Referred abdominal pain due to celiac disease

Myocardial infarction, pulmonary infarction, angina pectoris, acute pericarditis, pleurisy, lobar pneumonia, etc.;

Abdominal pain caused by systemic illness

Abdominal allergic purpura (whole abdominal pain), uremia (whole abdominal pain), diabetic ketoacidosis (whole abdominal pain), heart failure (whole abdominal pain), etc.

Chronic abdominal pain

The nature is generally dull pain, dull pain, distending pain, etc., including:

Chronic inflammation of abdominal organs

Chronic gastritis (dull pain in the left upper abdomen), chronic cholecystitis (dull pain in the right upper abdomen), ulcerative colitis (dull pain in the left lower abdomen), chronic pancreatitis (dull pain in the upper abdomen), Crohn's disease (dull pain in the abdomen), etc.

Digestive tract motility disorders

Functional dyspepsia (abdominal distension and pain), irritable bowel syndrome (abdominal distension and pain), etc.

Liver congestion (swelling and pain in the right upper abdomen), liver abscess (swelling and pain in the right upper abdomen), etc.;

Peptic ulcer (periodic rhythmic upper abdominal pain);

Malignant tumors

Liver cancer (bloating and pain in the right upper abdomen), colon cancer (dull pain in the right lower abdomen, left lower abdomen, and upper abdomen), etc.

What stomach pains should you pay attention to?

Generally, severe abdominal colic or knife-like pain will usually attract people's attention and they will go to the hospital for treatment. For example, colic in the right upper abdomen indicates acute cholecystitis; knife-like pain in the middle and upper abdomen indicates gastrointestinal perforation; persistent severe pain under the xiphoid process indicates acute pancreatitis; metastatic right lower abdominal pain indicates acute appendicitis, etc.

However, some cases of abdominal pain are easily ignored. For example, chronic abdominal distension and pain may indicate liver cancer, colon cancer, etc.; periodic and rhythmic upper abdominal pain may indicate digestive tract ulcer; obvious pain in supine position, relieved by forward or prone position, may be pancreatic cancer, etc. If these diseases are not treated as soon as possible, they may become difficult to treat as the disease progresses.

So, what kind of pain is there?

Do I need to go to the hospital for a check-up?

Which department should I go to?

If you experience dull pain in the right upper abdomen or upper abdomen, accompanied by yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin, it indicates bile duct obstruction. The disease may be bile duct stones, bile duct cancer, pancreatic head cancer, bile duct cyst, etc. You should go to the hepatobiliary surgery department for treatment.

If you experience abdominal distension and pain, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and cessation of flatulence and defecation, this indicates intestinal obstruction and you should see a gastrointestinal surgeon or gastroenterologist.

If you experience abdominal pain accompanied by hematuria, or urethral discomfort, or frequent, urgent, or painful urination, it indicates a urinary tract disease, such as urinary stones, and you should go to a urology department for treatment.

If severe lower abdominal pain occurs accompanied by delayed menstruation, possibly accompanied by shock, it indicates an ectopic pregnancy and you should go to the obstetrics and gynecology department for treatment.

If you experience dull pain in the upper abdomen accompanied by symptoms of shock, it may indicate myocardial infarction and you should see a cardiologist.

If abdominal pain accompanied by fever and chills occurs, it indicates the presence of inflammation, such as acute suppurative cholangitis, acute cholecystitis, acute appendicitis, liver abscess, etc., and you should go to the general surgery department for treatment.

If abdominal pain is accompanied by weight loss or anemia, it indicates a malignant tumor of the abdominal organs, liver cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, etc., and you should go to the general surgery department for treatment.

Although abdominal pain occurs occasionally

But some pain may indicate the onset of disease

If the above symptoms occur

Don't ignore it, seek medical attention immediately

The pictures in this article with the "Science Popularization China" watermark are all from the copyright gallery. The pictures are not authorized for reprinting.