Upper abdominal pain can have a number of different causes. The organs that are located in the upper abdomen can be considered as the cause. Pain in the upper abdomen is then often organ-specific and can be found in the same place where the organ is located in the body.
On the other hand, pain in the upper abdomen can also be caused by diseases of organs that are not located directly in the upper abdomen but elsewhere in the body, for example in the thorax or lower abdomen. The pain in the upper abdomen is then caused by a so-called pain projection, since certain areas in the body share the same pain fibers. In most cases, however, the physician has a first idea of the cause of the upper abdomen pain based on the location of the pain. Together with the anamnesis of the pain, the diseases can be easily localized.
Diagnosis
To get to the bottom of the cause of upper abdominal pain, there are a number of options available to the doctor. The most important one is the patient’s medical history, i.e. the collection of the patient’s medical history. This is mainly concerned with the type of upper abdominal pain.
Important questions are when the pain occurs, how it presents itself, whether it occurs at regular intervals, where exactly the pain is located, whether the pain radiates and whether there are certain triggers? Accompanying symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stool changes/discoloration, changes in urine or changes in urination, as well as previous illnesses and medication can also help to find the cause of upper abdominal pain. Next, imaging procedures are used, such as ultrasound, X-rays or even computed tomography.
Upper abdominal pain on the right side
The causes of left-sided upper abdominal pain may be a disease of the spleen and a disease of the colon, since these two organs are located in the left upper abdomen. A rupture or tear of the spleen can cause severe left-sided pain in the upper abdomen. A rupture of the spleen must always be considered in the context of a trauma, for example, if a fall over the handlebars occurred in a bicycle accident.
Since the spleen is very well supplied with blood, there are signs of shock, cold sweat, palpitations and dizziness in addition to the severe upper abdominal pain. A splenic infarction can also be a possible cause of left-sided upper abdominal pain. In this case, there is a sudden onset of pain which can also radiate into the left shoulder. Fever and nausea can also occur in the context of a splenic infarction. In the case of left-sided upper abdominal pain, one should think of diseases of the kidney and ureter or, just as on the right side, of possible cancer of the large intestine.
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