Therapy
The treatment of abdominal pain in the upper abdomen depends on the underlying disease. Infections are usually treated by administering an antibiotic. Abdominal pain in the upper abdomen caused by irritation or inflammation of the stomach can often be treated by taking so-called proton pump inhibitors (acid blockers).
Upper abdomen pain during pregnancy
Pain in the upper abdomen is defined as stabbing, pressing or pulling pain in the upper abdomen, which is located between the costal arch and the navel line. It can have various causes. Particular attention is paid to pain occurring during pregnancy.
Of great importance is the question of whether the pain in the upper abdomen is short or long lasting and whether it gets worse. Position-dependent pain in the upper abdomen, i.e. pain that changes from lying down to standing, can also occur. In most cases, even during pregnancy, there is a harmless cause behind it without any significant disease value.
For example, the baby may press on organs or briefly squeeze structures. Also heartburn, in which increased stomach acid is produced and the esophagus rises, is not a rare cause of upper abdominal pain in pregnancy. However, if the pain lasts longer and increases, caution is advised.
In cases of extreme pain with cramps, especially on the right side, the suspicion of gallstones is in the foreground. Appendicitis can also be accompanied by pain in the upper abdomen radiating to the right. In this case a doctor should be consulted quickly.
In addition, there is a certain disease which rarely but specifically causes pain in the upper abdomen during pregnancy and requires immediate treatment: the HELLP syndrome. The abbreviation stands for haemolysis (anaemia caused by the dying red blood cells), elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count. It is the most serious complication of pre-eclampsia (syndrome of high blood pressure and proteins in the urine during pregnancy), which can complicate pregnancy in 5-7% of cases.
The HELLP syndrome occurs with 1-2 cases in 300 pregnancies. One of the typical characteristics is a stabbing pain in the upper abdomen that radiates particularly to the right. This is caused by an enlarged or swollen liver, which leads to tension in the capsule surrounding the liver. Overall, a doctor should therefore be consulted immediately during pregnancy if the upper abdomen pain persists for a longer period of time. In most cases the cause is relatively harmless, but due to the dreaded complication of the HELLP syndrome, which is expressed by upper abdominal pain during pregnancy and can be fatal for the mother and above all for the child, the cause must be clarified.
Prophylaxis
Abdominal pain in the upper abdomen cannot always be prevented. In general, however, the gastrointestinal tract, liver, spleen and pancreas can be kept “fit” by a balanced diet and sufficient exercise. In addition, regular consumption of tobacco products and/or alcohol is a significant risk factor for various diseases that can lead to the development of abdominal pain in the upper abdomen. Patients who regularly take painkillers or other medication should consider the additional use of proton pump inhibitors (acid blockers) in the long term. In this way, the stomach lining can be effectively protected from possible drug side effects and abdominal pain in the upper abdomen can be prevented.
