Abdominal pain is one of the most frequently felt complaints and affects almost everyone. The reasons for the development of abdominal pain can be varied and in some cases it is not possible to assign an exact cause to the complaints. Depending on the location of the abdominal pain experienced by the patient, underlying diseases of various organ systems can be responsible.
In addition, upper abdominal pain can also occur at night. This can have various causes. Abdominal pain in the area of the upper abdomen is particularly frequent.
The “upper abdomen” is the part of the abdomen that is located immediately below the two costal arches. Pain phenomena that are perceived below the costal arches are therefore called “abdominal pain of the upper abdomen” (upper abdominal pain). Numerous organ systems located within the upper sections of the abdomen can be responsible for the development of abdominal pain in the upper abdomen.
In addition, diseases of the organs of the thorax can lead to abdominal pain in the upper abdomen. In addition, the affected patient should try to assign the pain he/she feels to an exact location in the upper abdomen. In everyday clinical practice, a distinction is made between complaints in the right upper abdomen, the middle upper abdomen and the left upper abdomen. A comprehensive and as exact as possible diagnosis is therefore essential for frequently occurring or very severe complaints within this region.
Diagnosis
The most important step in the diagnosis of abdominal pain in the upper abdomen is the doctor-patient consultation (anamnesis). Above all, the exact localisation and description of the pain (stabbing, dull, colicky) can give the attending physician an initial indication of its cause. In addition, other symptoms (such as diarrhoea and/or vomiting) and the exact temporal relationship between meals and the occurrence of the pain play a decisive role.
For this reason, the patient should be able to give as accurate a description of the symptoms as possible, despite the pain. In most cases, the doctor-patient consultation is followed by a blood test to determine various parameters. In particular, the liver and pancreas values, the inflammation parameters and the bilirubin should be determined as quickly as possible.
In case of abdominal pain in the upper abdomen, imaging is performed by performing an ultrasound examination. With this method, the attending physician can obtain a quick overview of the organ systems of the abdominal cavity without any radiation exposure to the patient. In most cases, the cause of the abdominal pain in the upper abdomen can be determined in a very short time. If these first diagnostic steps do not lead to a clear result, further measures must be taken.
