Chronic Abdominal Pain
Pain in the stomach area can be sudden and sharp, over quickly or even longstanding. Stomach pain might be just a minor issue, but it could also be a major problem.
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Chronic stomach aches can be caused by many factors. Determining if the issue is minor or major depends on such factors as the length of time the pain lasts or the exact location of the pain.
Many times you may have stomach or abdominal pain felt in the abdominal region that is actually occurring from other organs not within the true stomach cavity. Some examples of other organs you might feel would be the uterus or ovarios, kidney’s and even lower lung conditions may cause abdominal pain.
Abdominal pain can be caused by inflammation or without inflammation. Pain can be associated with an obstruction of the intestines or swelling of the liver as is the case with hepatitis. There is even IBS; (irritable bowel syndrome), but it isn’t even clear why IBS causes abdominal pain.
Pain that is caused from organs outside the abdominal cavity is known as “referred” pain, meaning that the pain is felt in a location besides where it actually originates from.
Inflammatory pain or non-inflammatory stomach aches or even the IBS are often called “functional” pain because there is often no visible cause of the pain.
One of the most common causes of abdominal pain could be constipation. Mild upsets of the stomach can be caused by just eating too much or even too quickly. If this is the problem sometimes just waiting for a few hours will bring relief.
You could also have an allergy to milk protein or be lactose intolerant. They are not the same conditions but they can both cause abdominal pain or upset stomach.
You could also have ulcers or heartburn. Heartburn is the over-production of stomach acid and causes ulcers, which is when the acid eats into the stomach lining.
An infection in the intestines can cause stomach pain. This can occur from many parasites or a large variety of bacteria that can infect intestines.
Sometimes an upset stomach may include vomiting or diarrhea. This could mean a virus or even food poisoning. If this persists for more than a day or so and you have a fever as well, visit the doctor. If you have diarrhea for an extended period of time you could become dehydrated. If you are vomiting too, there is a chance you have food poisoning and you may require antibiotics.
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