Definition
Pain of the abdomen and thus of the gastrointestinal tract included can show many different facets. The cause does not necessarily have to be attributable to the intestine, because some other causes can also cause abdominal pain. Specifically, intestinal pain, or rather abdominal pain, can come in different pain qualities.
It can be said explicitly that general abdominal pain is never exclusively attributable to the intestine, which does not mean that it can still come from the intestine. The innervation of the intestine, which is characterised by intestinal movements, is controlled by the so-called autonomic nervous system, which is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. There is no sensitive innervation in the intestine, i.e. direct pain sensation with localisation is not possible. Any intestinal pain initially appears as abdominal pain.
Causes of intestinal pain
For a simpler classification, it is recommended to break down the various causes of abdominal or intestinal pain according to their pain qualities. On the one hand, there is the colicky pain as it can occur with urinary stones or a bile duct obstruction. The pain manifests itself here in short consecutive episodes of painful intensity.
If there is a permanent pain that increases in intensity in waves, the cause can be peritonitis or inflammation of an abdominal organ, for example inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), inflammation of the gall bladder (cholecystitis) or inflammation of the appendix (appendicitis). If there is a total peak in pain intensity followed by a decrease in pain, a hollow organ, such as the intestine, may have ruptured. Another cause associated with a rather diffuse pain is intestinal obstruction.
Diffuse is to be understood here in such a way that the intestinal obstruction can have different causes, such as cancer or a hernia, which is difficult to differentiate due to the different pain sensations of the individual patient. If a left-sided lower abdominal pain occurs, associated for example with fever, a so-called sigmoid diverticulitis can be the cause. Here, protrusions of the intestinal mucosa, most frequently located in the sigmoid colon, the last part of the colon, become inflamed.
Pain from colon cancer
The treacherous thing about colorectal cancer, as with most types of cancer, is that it often does not expand noticeably and continues to grow before any symptoms appear. For these reasons, every adult who is 55 years old or older is covered by statutory health insurance for a colorectal cancer screening examination. The pain caused by colorectal cancer is often a sign of advanced disease.
Early symptoms are virtually non-existent or rare. Bowel cancer is often conspicuous by a change in bowel movement in the form of constipation or by blood loss during or after bowel movement. These bleedings can be visible or hidden, the physician uses the word “occult” for this, if blood in smaller quantities can only be detected by special tests. Furthermore, weight loss, loss of performance or occasional fever can be the cause.