Lower abdominal pain and accompanying symptoms
Lower abdominal pain can occur in combination with various symptoms such as diarrhea or fever. The accompanying symptom can give an indication of the underlying cause. If diarrhoea occurs in combination with lower abdominal pain, this gives an indication of the underlying cause of the disease which is responsible for the corresponding symptoms.
If the diarrhoea occurs in severe form, a doctor should be consulted, as there may be a large loss of water and nutrients. This condition can be especially dangerous for young and old people. In most cases, diarrhea in lower abdominal pain is associated with an infection or intolerance.
A stomach flu is caused by viruses and usually only requires symptomatic therapy. This means that healing is awaited – the body defends itself against the pathogens and destroys them – and the patient’s healing process is only supported by the supply of fluids and nutrients. If a bacterial gastrointestinal disease occurs, the administration of an antibiotic may become necessary, but most of the corresponding diseases can also be treated symptomatically.If appendicitis is diagnosed in the course of diarrhea, which can occasionally be the case, treatment must not only be symptomatic – in most cases surgery is necessary, which involves the removal of the appendix (popularly known as appendix vermiformis).
In addition to infectious causes, intolerances can be the cause of lower abdominal pain and diarrhea. If, for example, the food that the affected person has recently eaten is no longer good, this can lead to such symptoms. Bacteria that have settled and multiplied in the food are responsible for this.
There they form poisons in the course of time, which cause the discomfort of the consumer (patient). Also allergies or intolerances lead in many cases to diarrhoea and colicky (crampy) stomach aches. A widespread example is lactose intolerance.
Psychological stress, for example stress at work, can also affect the body: indisposition, abdominal pain and diarrhoea occur – the body develops the symptoms of a gastrointestinal disease on its own. Fever usually occurs in the case of a bacterial infection. In this way the body tries to reach the optimal working temperature of the defence cells.
Fever can also occur in connection with lower abdominal pain. The cause is then probably of a bacterial nature and the choice of clinical pictures to be checked can be limited at first. In addition to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, other organs can also be affected by the disease and cause lower abdominal pain with fever.
A typical example of this in men is prostatitis, the inflammation of the prostate gland. There is also the possibility of diverticulitis. This is an inflammation of a diverticulum, a bulging of the intestinal wall, which occurs in many people in the course of life.
If, for example, faeces is deposited in the diverticulum, an inflammation with infiltration (immigration) into the intestinal wall can occur. Lower abdominal pain is also characteristic of appendicitis. The pain usually starts in the upper abdomen and migrates to the right lower abdomen.
Since appendicitis is also an inflammation, it often leads to feverish progression. Abdominal pain is probably most often caused by flatulence. Thus, the pain occurs less with flatulence, but through the flatulence itself.
Digestive disorders or incompatibilities are the main causes. However, flatulence often has no particular disease value and disappears by itself after a short time. If the pain is still so bad that the patient wants to do something about it, there are many conservative methods to choose from – in most cases there is no need to resort to medication.
Heat is an important aid in this respect. It can be warmed from the outside with a warming pad or from the inside with tea or warm water. The abdominal muscles relax and the air that causes flatulence can escape more easily.
In rare cases, an underlying disease can cause flatulence and lower abdominal pain. The most common disorders are irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis. Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder of the bowel, which is often a familial condition.
Diarrhea, constipation and flatulence are common. A therapy with probiotics and antispasmodic drugs can provide relief. Patients must pay attention to the foods that trigger the symptoms and avoid them.
Diverticulitis is an inflammatory disease of a diverticulum. A diverticulum is a bulging of the bowel wall which, although not natural, is present in many people and only occasionally causes problems.
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