Abdominal pain and diarrhoea
Abdominal pain can have different causes depending on its location and intensity. In order to make the right diagnosis, it is important to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. If the abdominal pain is accompanied by diarrhoea (diarrhoea), it is certain that the cause of the abdominal pain is due to the gastrointestinal tract and not, for example, to the kidney or spleen.
The most common cause of abdominal pain and diarrhoea is a gastrointestinal infection, for example caused by a norovirus. Another reason for abdominal pain with diarrhoea can be the so-called irritable bowel. This is a hypersensitive large intestine that reacts to specific emotional stimuli such as stress or grief with digestive disorders that lead to severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Diarrhoea is often followed by a phase of constipation. In women, the symptoms can become worse during menstruation. This is usually caused by hormones (for example acetylcholine, a transmitter that stimulates digestion), which influence the gastrointestinal tract and are present in increased or decreased amounts in stressful situations.
Other reasons for diarrhoea and abdominal pain can be intolerances. Lactose intolerance is well known, in which lactose cannot be broken down in the intestine because an enzyme is missing. This leads to enormous abdominal pain, diarrhoea and flatulence.
Celiac disease, a gluten intolerance, also leads to stomach ache and diarrhoea. Also possible is hyperthyroidism, in which the thyroid hormones ensure an increased energy metabolism. This leads to increased digestion (which can lead to diarrhoea and abdominal pain), heart palpitations, restlessness and sweating.
Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or diverticula can also lead to abdominal pain with diarrhoea. Bowel cancer also leads to increased diarrhoea with severe abdominal pain. Other symptoms here are fever, night sweats, pale skin and increased tiredness.
In most cases, however, the diarrhoea as well as the abdominal pain have a harmless cause. For example, something intolerable can lead to diarrhoea, but this soon disappears again. Many medicines also contain diarrhoea and stomach pain as side effects.
Stomach ache can occur after eating. The reason for this can either be an intolerance of the food or an intolerance (lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, etc.). Depending on how often the pain occurs after eating, one should consult a doctor.
If stomach aches occur only occasionally after eating, this can have harmless reasons. Cabbage, onions and beans bloat the stomach very much and can lead to stomach ache after eating. However, if you have problems with digestion every time after eating dairy products, you should get tested for lactose intolerance.
If you experience severe stomach pains immediately after eating, no matter what you eat, a stomach ulcer (ulcer) may also be the reason. If abdominal pain occurs mainly after eating very fatty food, an inflammation of the gall bladder or gallstones may be the reason. Inflammation of the pancreas can also lead to increased stomach pain after eating.
However, there is often a harmless cause behind the complaints. If you eat under stress or very quickly, this can overload the gastrointestinal tract and also lead to abdominal pain after eating. It is therefore important to eat in peace and quiet and to pay attention to which foods the stomach can tolerate better and which ones are worse for it.
Babies usually announce their stomach pains by crying loudly. The cause is often an over-inflated stomach. On the one hand, the baby’s intestine still has to get used to the new food.
On the other hand, many babies drink too quickly, breathe in a lot of air and can suffer from flatulence. Breastfeeding mothers should also take care not to eat any food that causes flatulence. These include pulses, pears, cabbage and onions.
Often the baby does not tolerate chocolate either, so eating chocolate can cause the baby’s stomach to hurt. If the baby’s stomach pains always occur when the mother has previously eaten bread with gluten or dairy products, an intolerance (coeliac disease, lactose intolerance) may also be the reason. There is also the so-called three-month colic.
Boys in particular are often affected. These are strong colicky cramps after eating, which cause the babies severe pain. It is important to take the baby upright in your arms after eating in order to give him the opportunity to burp and thus let air escape.
If this does not help, you can rub massage oil into the baby’s stomach. If the baby’s abdominal pain lasts for a long time and is combined with fever or if there is a long lasting colic, the doctor should be consulted. Appendicitis, inguinal hernia, gastrointestinal infections or intestinal congestion are also possible in babies.
