Right/left
Special care is required in the case of unilateral abdominal pain, as this can indicate not only psychological causes but also a variety of organic ailments. First of all, a distinction should be made between moderate pain and severe pain in the abdomen. Moderate pain in the right or left lower abdomen, accompanied by flatulence, is often due to malnutrition.
If this is the case, however, the symptoms should improve quickly and medication to reduce pain should be effective. If this is not the case, further reasons for the unilateral abdominal pain should be urgently clarified. The most severe right-sided abdominal pain may be acute appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, stone disease in the ureter or bile duct or, especially in girls and women, menstrual problems or inflammation of the fallopian tubes.
An inflammatory process in the uterus can also initially manifest itself as unilateral pain. In the case of left-sided abdominal pain, in addition to the above-mentioned reasons for moderate discomfort and flatulence, the so-called diverticulitis should also be considered. This is an intestinal disorder in which the wall of the intestine bulges out.
This leads to the formation of so-called diverticulitis, which can become inflamed, for example, by the accumulation of stool. Thus, in addition to the left lower abdominal pain, flatulence and discomfort during bowel movement also occur. In addition, in order to rule out a heart attack, which can manifest itself, among other things, as left-sided abdominal pain, a heart examination should also be performed.
An ECG should be carried out for this purpose, because especially in women a heart attack often does not manifest itself through classic symptoms. Left lower abdominal pain combined with flatulence can also be caused by a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Here, the disease ulcerative colitis is particularly worth mentioning, in which inflammatory processes and changes in the intestinal mucosa occur.
In addition to the abdominal pain and flatulence, which occur more frequently in batches, diarrhoea occurs, which can contain blood admixtures. These are often accompanied by fever. A doctor should be consulted in order to rule out significant organic diseases in cases of unilateral, permanent or frequently recurring severe abdominal pain.
This doctor has many diagnostic possibilities to get to the bottom of the symptoms. For example, he or she can perform a blood test, an ultrasound or CT imaging examination and a gastroscopy or colonoscopy.