Tiredness | Upper abdominal pain and nausea

Tiredness

Tiredness and upper abdominal pain can occur after the consumption of particularly heavy meals, as the stomach has to expend a lot of energy to digest this meal. Many people also react to food intolerances with unspecific symptoms and tiredness. Tiredness can also be an expression of liver disease. In malignant processes, symptoms such as fatigue, exhaustion and weight loss are often observed as accompanying complaints.

After the meal

If the pain and nausea in the upper abdomen are associated with food intake, and especially observed afterwards, an inflammation of the stomach lining or pancreas may be a possible cause. Closely related to pain after eating are diseases of the bile ducts, such as a gallstone in the gall bladder, for example. Only rarely do food intolerances trigger pain in the upper abdomen. In most cases, cramp-like abdominal pain occurs in the lower part of the abdomen, which is caused by flatulence and disappears when going to the toilet. If no causes can be found by imaging techniques, a possible psychosomatic origin of the complaints should be clarified.

Diagnostics

Before the examination, the doctor will try to make a working diagnosis through the medical history, a conversation between patient and doctor. The abdomen is then examined, palpated and auscultated with a stethoscope to check for abnormal sounds. Furthermore, body temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood sugar are checked.

If imaging is necessary, ultrasound is the first choice to quickly confirm the diagnosis. Depending on the disease, X-ray examinations or a CT can be requested later. An examination of the blood can also provide important information. In addition to the classic blood count, specific enzymes for the respective organs can also be examined, providing information about the health of the organs.

Summary

Many diseases that cause upper abdominal pain and nausea do not show dramatic progressions and can be brought under control by simple therapeutic measures. In the case of sudden, severe pain and shock symptoms, a doctor or hospital should be consulted particularly urgently. The distinction between non-life-threatening and life-threatening diseases can be quickly made by a physician by obtaining information about the patient in a conversation and making a sonographic imaging of the abdomen.

In case of acute upper abdominal pain it is always important to rule out a heart attack by taking an ECG and checking the blood values. In some cases, other imaging procedures such as X-ray or CT are necessary. The therapy for upper abdominal pain depends on the individual disease.