Pain in the upper part of the abdomen - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Abdominal pain is a symptom that can refer to numerous diseases, even very different ones. In fact, it can originate in any of the anatomical structures of the abdomen (region between the thorax and the pelvis) or the abdominal wall. To better characterize the origin of this pain, the abdomen is conventionally divided into quadrants or regions. This system is useful for locating signs and symptoms, thus discriminating between the possible conditions underlying this pain symptom.

The pain in the upper part of the abdomen, in general, can be the expression of a series of problems affecting the stomach, gall bladder and biliary tract, spleen, liver, kidneys and adrenals, pancreas and part of the intestine. Some of these conditions are transitory, others are so risky as to require urgent medical intervention.

Pain located in the right upper quadrant may be present during inflammatory duodenum disorders (eg peptic ulcers) and colon (eg colitis). The same goes for liver pains, which can be caused by hepatitis (infection or inflammation of the liver) or by trauma, and for those of the gall bladder, which can be caused by gallstones or cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder).

If the pain originates in the upper left area of the abdomen it may depend on pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), diseases of the spleen (eg infections that cause splenomegaly), esophagitis, gastritis (irritation of the stomach walls), duodenal or gastric ulcer.

The pain referred to the upper abdomen may also depend on pneumonia (infection of the lungs), pleurisy (irritation of the membrane surrounding the lungs), pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction. Possible causes include tumors located in the upper abdomen (eg liver cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer).

The pain in the upper part of the abdomen is associated with many other causes: lesions in the abdomen (severe trauma), vascular or neurological problems, hernias (protrusions inside the abdominal wall), indigestion and shingles (infection with Shingles). In any case it is important to consult a doctor and let him know how, how long and when pain appears (it can be acute or chronic, fulminant or progressively increase in intensity, crampiform or continuous, colic, burning or piercing, fixed or migrant) .