Diagnosis
In order to determine the exact diagnosis and the cause of the abdominal pain, the patient is best advised to consult a specialist.Since abdominal pain can have several causes and it is often unclear to the patient which cause leads to the abdominal pain, it makes sense to go to a hospital as there are many doctors of different specialties. With the help of the doctor-patient conversation (anamnesis) the doctor can first make a suspected diagnosis. Here it is important that the patient mentions all the symptoms he has accompanying the abdominal pain.
Based on the accompanying symptoms and the intensity and character of the abdominal pain, the doctor can often already make a diagnosis. With the help of a physical examination (palpation and percussion) the doctor can confirm or revoke his suspected diagnosis. Listening to the lower abdomen with a stethoscope (auscultation) can also be helpful in finding a diagnosis.
Often it is also necessary for the patient to have an ultrasound examination (sonography). With the help of the ultrasound, the doctor can obtain important information about possible problems or diseases in the lower abdomen. Only in rare cases and only if a suspicious diagnosis is made, does the doctor need to have further imaging measures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computer tomography (CT) performed. In most cases, however, a physical examination and, if necessary, an ultrasound is sufficient for a physician to make the appropriate diagnosis.
Frequency distribution
Abdominal pain is proportionally more common in women than in men, as many women experience mild to severe abdominal pain once a month during their period. In addition, inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) is much more common in patients because the urethra is shorter in women and therefore the path for the bacteria is also shorter into the bladder.
Symptoms
Depending on the cause, abdominal pain is associated with various accompanying symptoms. It is important to mention all accompanying symptoms during a visit to the doctor as this is the only way the doctor can differentiate between the many different causes of abdominal pain and only in this way will he be able to determine how urgently the patient should be treated. Patients who complain of abdominal pain are often examined by a specialist in gynaecology (gynaecologist), as it is very often a gynaecological problem.
If a patient has abdominal pain that gets better when she is warm and lying down (for example, a hot water bottle or a hot bath) and which also accompanies her periods, it is very likely to be period pain. If a patient suffers from abdominal pain and has morning nausea, increased urination or tightness in the breasts as accompanying symptoms, it may be a pregnancy. However, if the patient has severe abdominal pain and knows that she is pregnant, an ectopic pregnancy or a baby’s discharge (miscarriage) should be ruled out.
The abdominal pain is usually more crampy and severe. If a patient suffers from fever, sweating and general fatigue in addition to the abdominal pain, this can be an inflammation of the ovaries or even uterine or ovarian cancer. However, a Chlamydia infection can also be accompanied by similar accompanying symptoms, which is why it is difficult to trace the abdominal pain with its accompanying symptoms back to an illness without consulting a doctor.
Chlamydia infections, however, often also cause a greasy discharge, which can be an indication of the infection. However, it is important to know that a Chlamydia infection can occur without many accompanying symptoms and that sometimes mild abdominal pain and vaginal discharge are the only indications of infection. Therefore, it is important, especially for young patients, to regularly give a urine sample to their gynecologist, who will then test for Chlamydia, as the infection can lead to infertility in the worst case.
However, abdominal pain with a greasy or slightly bloody discharge can also indicate a polyp or myoma in the uterus. If a man suffers from abdominal pain, this can indicate prostatitis. This is an inflammation of the prostate, which can be accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, increased urination, pain when urinating or fever.In case of testicular torsion, the abdominal pain is suddenly very strong and crampy and the patient can hardly stand on his legs.
Since this is an emergency, in which the testicle can die in the worst case, the testicular torsion must be treated immediately. If a patient suffers from abdominal pain due to constipation, he/she can usually make the diagnosis very easily because there is no bowel movement. A gastrointestinal infection usually causes cramping abdominal pain, which can be relieved by lying down.
Additional symptoms are usually nausea, sometimes vomiting or diarrhea and fever. Irritable bowel syndrome usually causes abdominal pain with constantly changing stool habits. Sometimes the patient suffers from diarrhea (diarrhea), sometimes from constipation.
The feeling of fullness, flatulence and a distended abdomen are also typical accompanying symptoms. The symptoms are also very similar in the case of food intolerance, whereby the symptoms become stronger after eating the intolerable food. In the case of a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, the symptoms can also be very similar, with the addition of blood in the stool in addition to abdominal pain.
In general, the admixture of blood in the stool should always be an alarm signal for the patient, as in the worst case this could also be a case of intestinal cancer. Diverticulitis and appendicitis can cause severe cramping abdominal pain, fever and general malaise. Many patients also vomit or feel very bad.
An inguinal hernia, on the other hand, often has hardly any symptoms except for the slight abdominal pain, but the patient may feel the hernia in the groin area. The typical symptoms of a bladder infection are, in addition to the abdominal pain, pain when urinating, dribbling after urination and an increased urge to urinate, which is often difficult to control. In general, there are specific accompanying symptoms for each cause of abdominal pain, which can help the doctor to narrow down his diagnosis and also tell him which organ is responsible for the abdominal pain.
