Duration of abdominal pain in the evening

The duration of the evening abdominal pain depends strongly on the underlying clinical picture. Often only temporary digestive problems or gastrointestinal upsets are behind the symptom, which subside by themselves within a few hours. Gastro-intestinal inflammation or other infections of various abdominal organs can last for several days and cause occasional evening but also permanent pain.

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease, chronic irritation of the bowel, stress symptoms or colic can persist for months to years and always manifest themselves in the evening, as the body becomes more susceptible to pain symptoms in the evening. Diseases of the spinal column can also manifest themselves as abdominal pain in the evening hours, if a relaxation and comfortable sitting posture is adopted after active everyday life. The duration depends on the extent of the pain and the treatment.

An improvement in the symptoms of abdominal pain can only be expected once the underlying disease has subsided. The medical history and the physical examination are of decisive importance for the diagnosis. Close observation of the quality of the pain, the connection with food intake and stool behaviour and the duration of the pain usually proves to be very helpful for further clarification of the causes by the doctor.

A laboratory examination of the blood and especially of parameters of the digestive organs can also be useful for further clarification. The final confirmation of the diagnosis in case of suspicion of an organic disease is usually done by gastroscopy (also: oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, short) or colonoscopy (also: colonoscopy). In the case of non-organic causes, behaviour-altering measures such as stress reduction, changes in eating or exercise habits and regular bowel emptying can, under certain circumstances, even allow the symptoms to subside.

If food intolerance is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed by means of a special diet and accompanying documentation in a diet diary. In this case, the food in question should be avoided for one week. If the symptoms then improve, an intolerance is likely. After that, the individual foods are gradually added to the diet and it is checked which food causes the symptoms again.

Treatment

Depending on the cause, the treatment also looks different. In the case of abdominal pain in the evening which is due to non-organic causes, a causal treatment should be applied. If the stress level is increased, stress should primarily be reduced in everyday life or the handling of stress should be improved in a targeted manner.

Under certain circumstances, behavioural and psychotherapeutic measures are particularly suitable for this purpose. Orthopaedic complaints should be treated by sufficient movement and targeted avoidance of malpositions. If an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach (also known as gastritis) is present, it is also treated differently depending on the cause.

Symptomatic therapy, however, is usually carried out with the aid of proton pump inhibitors (PPI for short), which are intended to inhibit the acid production of the stomach. Acute biliary colic with abdominal pain in the evening or at night should be treated by a specialist as soon as possible. If a gallstone is present, it is usually removed surgically. The treatment of a food intolerance consists of abstaining from the intolerant food or food containing this substance as a component. Common to all clinical pictures, however, is that recurrent, unclear abdominal pain should always be further clarified by a physician, in order to be able to treat primarily emergency and life-threatening diseases at an early stage, but also otherwise to strive for symptom relief.