Symptoms

In most cases, pain on the left side of the abdomen does not occur in isolation but in combination with other complaints. These accompanying symptoms can provide a decisive indication of the underlying disease. Often these pains also occur in the area of the left ovary.

If the pain on the left side of the lower abdomen is caused by an impairment of the gastrointestinal tract, the affected patients usually also suffer from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. Infections and inflammations of the colon are often accompanied by fever. If the kidneys and/or the draining urinary tract are affected, this usually leads to an influence on the urinary behaviour (mostly the affected persons show an increased urge to urinate) and to pain radiating to the left flank.

In addition, the affected patients may also experience nausea, vomiting, pain when urinating, fever and chills. Harmless gynecological causes for the development of pain in the left lower abdomen, on the other hand, usually occur in certain parts of the cycle. In addition, both the intensity and the quality of the pain on the left side of the lower abdomen often allow conclusions to be drawn about the possible cause.

Kidney stones and urinary stones, for example, cause a characteristic, wave-like pain pattern in the affected patients. Inflammatory pain, on the other hand, is usually perceptible throughout. Observation and as detailed a description as possible of the perceived symptoms can therefore help to advance the diagnosis without detours and enable the rapid initiation of appropriate treatment.

The diagnosis of pain on the left side of the abdomen usually involves several steps.At the beginning, a detailed doctor-patient consultation (anamnesis) should be carried out to roughly estimate the necessary steps. During this conversation, the patient should describe the symptoms he/she has experienced in as much detail as possible. For pain on the left side of the lower abdomen, the exact localization, the quality of the pain (pulling, stabbing, burning, colicky) and the intensity of the symptoms play a decisive role.

In addition, it must be observed whether the pain is isolated on the left side of the lower abdomen or whether it radiates to other areas, such as the back or flanks. Furthermore, possible accompanying symptoms (nausea, vomiting, fever) can provide a decisive indication of the underlying disease. The doctor-patient consultation is typically followed by an orienting physical examination.

In the case of a patient suffering from pain on the left side of the abdomen, this examination should not be limited to the left lower abdomen. As a rule, the physical examination includes the entire abdominal cavity and the kidney bearings. In addition, a so-called “digital rectal examination” must be carried out for persons suffering from pain on the left side of the abdomen.

In women, for example, this examination can give an indication of whether a ruptured ectopic pregnancy is present. In men, changes in the rectum and prostate in particular can be excluded during the digital rectal examination. For further clarification of the symptoms, an additional ultrasound examination can be performed.

This procedure can detect fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity and wall thickening of the intestine. Especially changes in the area of the colon and inflammation of the pancreas can be diagnosed in this way. In addition, various blood values should be tested by means of a blood sample with subsequent laboratory examination. Inflammatory processes of any kind become apparent in this blood test by an increase in the inflammation parameters (C-reactive protein, leukocytes). In addition, in case of pain on the left side of the abdomen, a small blood count and the most important pancreatic values should be collected.