Right lower abdominal pain
Probably the best known cause of right-sided abdominal pain (right) is an inflammation of the appendix, also known as appendicitis. The pain is localized in the right lower abdomen and can either be localized precisely or radiate into the area above the right hip joint up to the navel. There are also parts in this area:
- Of the small and large intestine
- And the ureter (ureter)
- Appendix (appendix) and
- In women, the fallopian tube (tuba uterina) and ovary (ovary)
The most common disease with pain in the right lower abdomen is appendicitis.
In appendicitis are ascending, wandering pains from the left to the right lower abdomen. At the same time many patients suffer from fever, vomiting and nausea. Abdominal pain and nausea in particular are a frequent combination of symptoms.
In the event of a perforation of the appendix (appendicitis perforation), the pain can no longer be localised in one quadrant, but presents itself in the form of the acute abdomen. Here, surgery and removal of the inflamed appendix is the only therapeutic method. Since the area of the right lower abdomen is mainly filled by the small and large intestine, most diseases of the intestine can also cause right-sided abdominal pain.
Invaginations, i.e. invaginations of the colon, can also lead to cramping pains in the lower abdomen on the right side. In addition to the sections of the intestine, the ureters also run from the kidney in the back to the bladder. A kidney stone or urinary calculus that has come loose in the area of the kidney can, if it gets stuck in the ureter shortly before entering the bladder, lead to colicky very severe pain in the area of the right lower abdomen.
These pains are described as wave-like, sometimes very severe. These are often localized colicky in the lower abdomen on the right and make the patient wander around, as many patients find the pain more bearable then. In the left lower abdomen (left) pain can usually be caused by protrusions of the intestine when these become inflamed (diverticulitis).
In some exceptional cases, however, these congenital or acquired bulges of the intestine may also become inflamed on the right side of the intestine. In this case, moderate to severe symptoms occur on the right side of the lower abdomen. These pains are rather felt as dull.
Chronic intestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease occur in all parts of the intestine, but particularly frequently in the area of the terminal ileum (end of the small intestine). This is located on the right side of the lower abdomen and leads to persistent dull pain due to the inflammation of the intestinal wall. In addition, lower abdominal pain can be caused by various structures of the female internal genitals.
These include the fallopian tubes (tube) and the ovaries (ovaries). Ovarian cysts can occur completely painlessly, but if these cysts burst or a complicated location is found, a sudden severe pain in the lower abdomen on the right side occurs. This is usually accompanied by strong general symptoms and fever and requires a quick operation.
A pregnancy outside the uterus (extrauterine pregnancy) can also be located in the area of the fallopian tubes or the ovary, where it can lead to severe inflammation and pinching of the structures that run. In this case, shock signs and unconsciousness often occur very quickly after the strongest persistent pain has been felt for a short time. Depending on the underlying disease that causes the pain, different pain characters also occur.
In the case of appendicitis, there is stabbing pain of a very strong character and pulling in the abdomen. The pain can radiate into the upper abdomen or into the right leg and increases over time. Associated general symptoms, such as deterioration in general condition, fever and nausea or vomiting are also characteristic.
Patients usually cannot lift the right leg. A pressure on the left side of the abdomen is answered with severe pain on the right side. The typical symptoms of a colic, as is the case with ureteral colic or gallstone colic, are wave-like symptoms, which are sometimes stronger and sometimes weaker.
Here, too, the symptoms can radiate in different ways and manifest themselves as abdominal pain on the right side. Invaginations are characterized by cramp-like symptoms, which disappear as quickly as they occur. Here the general symptoms such as nausea and vomiting are completely absent. In the case of intestinal obstructions, on the other hand, in addition to very severe pain in the entire abdominal area and even pain on the right side, accompanying general symptoms such as nausea and vomiting can occur. However, all symptoms and abdominal pain do not necessarily only have to occur on the right side.
