Introduction
Cramps in the abdomen can have many different causes. Most of the time they are harmless, but in some cases serious and even life-threatening diseases can be behind the pain. Cramps are caused by the contraction of so-called smooth muscles, which, unlike the striated skeletal muscles, are found in the wall of hollow organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder and the internal female sexual organs such as the uterus and fallopian tubes. For general information about abdominal cramps, please see Abdominal cramps
Causes for cramps in the abdomen
Triggers such as inflammation, foreign bodies and injuries can trigger painful contractions of the smooth muscles. The pain of a visceral spasm, the so-called colic pain, typically occurs suddenly and with great intensity, then slowly subsides until almost complete freedom from pain, only to reoccur again. A classic example of cramp-like visceral pain is biliary colic.
Triggered by inflammation of the gallbladder or gallbladder foreign bodies such as gallstones, the gallbladder wall, which consists of smooth muscles, contracts, causing severe pain in the right upper abdomen. Cramps also occur when increased gastrointestinal activity is desired. This is the case with poisoning, for example, when the body wants to get rid of the poisonous substance as quickly as possible, or in the case of food intolerances.
In so-called food poisoning, the toxins of the pathogens (for example bacterial toxins) also play an important role: they draw water into the intestine and provoke increased intestinal activity. The latter causes are acute phenomena that stop by themselves. Persistent cramps in combination with diarrhea are an indication of chronic inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The exact mechanism by which diarrhea and cramps occur in these two diseases is not known exactly. What they have in common, however, is that they show injuries and inflammatory changes in the intestinal mucosa. Again, the mechanism of irritation is probably essential for the increased intestinal activity.
In addition to the intestine, other organs can also be responsible for abdominal cramps: the urinary and genital organs. Especially in women, cramps in the abdomen are an absolute frequency within the monthly menstrual cycle. Far from menstruation, cramps and cramp-like pain can also be inflammation of the fallopian tubes, uterus and bladder. Especially if pregnancy is possible, it is important to rule out pregnancy complications or an ectopic pregnancy. Less frequently associated with cramps and more associated with colicky abdominal pain are for example kidney stones and urinary stones.
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