Stomach Pain: What is it, its symptoms, what causes it and how to cure it.

Stomach pain is a common condition in both children and adults. Stomach pain can have many different causes. What causes stomach pain? What is good for stomach ache? You can find the answers to all these questions in the rest of the article.

What is Stomach Pain?

Stomach pain describes a feeling of discomfort that occurs in the upper abdomen. Everyone complains of this complaint at least once or at some point in their life. Although most causes of stomach pain are not cause for concern, caution should be exercised as this complaint may also occur during the course of serious diseases.

What are the symptoms of stomach pain?

Stomach pain is felt in the upper abdomen just below the ribs. Stomach pain may be accompanied by problems such as bloating, nausea and cramps. Stomach pain is sometimes more severe before a meal, and sometimes it gets worse after a meal. Situations such as duration, shape and characteristics of pain vary depending on the disorder causing the pain.

What Causes Stomach Pain?

In the upper abdomen, where the stomach is located, the gallbladder, liver, pancreas and upper intestine segments are also located. Therefore, any problem in these organs may cause pain in the stomach area. Stomach pain can occur for different reasons. Medical treatment is generally not needed for causes such as gas and viral infection. However, stomach pain may also have serious causes that require treatment.

Stomach pain can have many different causes. The most common causes of stomach pain:

• Gas

It is normal to have gas in the digestive system. As gas accumulates, it causes bloating and a feeling of excessive fullness. Conditions such as diarrhea and constipation can cause gas pain to become worse. If abdominal pain eases from time to time and increases from time to time, if the pain is accompanied by bloating in the abdomen, if it feels like something is moving in the stomach; There is a high probability that the pain is due to gas.

Gas pain does not usually cause a serious health problem. It would be beneficial for those who do not want to experience gas pain to eat slowly, not to swallow too much air, and to stay away from foods that may cause excessive gas production.

• Digestive Difficulty

Indigestion can cause a burning sensation in the stomach. Sometimes this burning sensation can also be felt in the esophagus, throat and mouth. Indigestion may be related to too much acid in the stomach or consuming acidic foods. Although rare, diseases such as stomach ulcers, reflux, and stomach cancer can also cause digestive difficulties. It would be beneficial for people who frequently experience indigestion problems and lose weight unintentionally to consult a doctor.

• Gastritis

Gastritis is a condition in which the lining of the stomach becomes swollen and painful. Acute gastritis usually develops due to infection caused by the bacteria called H. pylori. Chronic gastritis is:

• It may occur due to conditions such as viral infection irritating the stomach surface for a long time.
• Allergy
• sarcoidosis
• autoimmune disorders
• Crohn’s disease
• Infection

Infection of the digestive system is called gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis often occurs as a result of viral infection. People with gastroenteritis experience symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. These people also experience symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and muscle pain.

Gastroenteritis usually lasts a few days. Patients are advised to consume light foods that will not tire the stomach during this period. Dehydration may occur in the body due to reasons such as vomiting and diarrhea. To prevent this, patients should drink plenty of fluids.

• muscle spasms

There are many muscles in the upper abdomen. Conditions such as injury or spasm in these muscles can cause stomach pain. Pain usually decreases with practices such as massage, rest, and hot compresses.

• Appendicitis

Infection of the structure called appendix in the intestines may cause appendicitis. Appendicitis is a disease that can be fatal if not treated in time. At first, appendicitis causes pain around the belly button. This pain may radiate to the abdomen and be felt as a stomach ache. As the infection progresses, the pain shifts to the lower right region of the abdomen.

• Gallstone

Substances such as cholesterol and bilirubin can accumulate in the gallbladder and turn into stones. Although these stones do not always cause problems, they sometimes cause problems by blocking the bile duct. When gallstones cause obstruction, the person experiences symptoms such as pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, vomiting, and fatigue. Untreated gallstones can disrupt liver and pancreatic functions and cause jaundice.

• Liver and Pancreas Disorders

The liver, gallbladder and pancreas are organs that help the digestive system. These organs are located in the upper part of the abdomen. Liver diseases such as hepatitis and pancreas-related diseases such as pancreatitis can cause abdominal pain. In liver and pancreas disorders, in addition to gradually worsening abdominal pain, symptoms such as yellowing of the skin, dark urine, very light colored stools, nausea and vomiting may be observed.

• Intestinal Obstruction

Obstruction in the intestines prevents the contents of the intestine from moving forward. In this case, it causes severe abdominal pain, constipation and indigestion problems. In addition to pain, patients with intestinal obstruction experience symptoms such as bilious vomiting, abdominal distension, inability to pass gas, and abdominal cramps.

• Diverticulitis

Diverticula are small protrusions that protrude from the intestine. Normally, there should be no diverticula in the intestine. However, some people have diverticula, and inflammation of these structures is called diverticulitis. Although diverticulitis is usually seen in the intestines located in the lower abdomen, it can sometimes occur in the upper intestines. Diverticulitis located in the upper region can cause stomach pain.

How to Diagnose Stomach Pain?

A history is taken before the patient applies to the doctor with a complaint of stomach pain. In the history, we try to get an idea about the cause of the pain by asking the patient questions such as how long the pain has been present and whether there are situations that increase or decrease the pain. Then the patient is examined. During the examination, the exact location of the pain is determined and the findings accompanying the pain are determined.

A blood test may be performed to diagnose stomach pain. Conditions such as infection can be diagnosed with a blood test. One of the most effective methods used to find the cause of pain in the stomach is endoscopy. During the endoscopy procedure, a thin tube with a camera at the end is advanced from the patient’s mouth to the stomach. In this way, it is seen whether there are any problems such as wounds, tumors or bleeding in the part up to the patient’s stomach.

Help can be taken from imaging techniques such as ultrasound, CT and MRI in detecting disorders that cause stomach pain.

What are the symptoms that occur with stomach pain?

Diseases that cause stomach pain can cause different symptoms in addition to pain.

In most cases, stomach pain goes away on its own without the need for treatment. However, patients:

• Vomiting that continues for more than 12 hours
• Fever accompanying abdominal pain
• Pain after a blow to the stomach
• Stomach pain that develops after starting a new medication
• In cases where stomach pain is unbearably severe, a doctor should be consulted.

How to Relieve Stomach Pain?

In order for stomach pain to go away, the underlying condition must be treated. However, in cases such as gas and viral gastroenteritis, treatment is usually not needed.

In the treatment of acute gastritis, antibiotic therapy for H. pylori infection can be started. In chronic gastritis, the condition that irritates the stomach should be eliminated. Surgery is usually used in the treatment of diseases such as appendicitis and gallstones. Antiviral drugs can be used for liver infections such as hepatitis, and anti-inflammatory drugs can be used for pancreatitis.

For diverticulitis and intestinal obstruction, the patient usually requires surgery.

So what relieves stomach pain fastest? What should be done to relieve the stomach? There are some practices that will relieve stomach pain. These:

• drinking plenty of water
• Consuming ginger cure or drinking ginger tea
• drinking chamomile tea
• eating banana
• It can be listed as putting a hot water bottle on the abdomen so that it does not stay on for too long.

‘How to relieve severe stomach pain?’ is one of the frequently asked questions. However, people who complain of severe abdominal pain are recommended to contact the nearest health center instead of trying to solve the problem themselves. It should be noted that severe stomach pain may indicate a serious health problem.