Abdominal cavity – characteristics and pain complaints

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The abdominal cavity is a common space for many organs of key importance for human health. People who complain of abdominal pain may in fact struggle with ailments of the intestines, stomach, liver, pancreas or spleen. Sometimes abdominal pain indicates diseases of the organs outside the abdominal cavity and of systems other than the digestive system.

Abdominal cavity – characteristics

The abdominal cavity is a large area of ​​the front part of the torso, which borders the chest cavity at the top and the pelvic cavity at the bottom. It consists of the peritoneal cavity and the extraperitoneal space. Widely used division of the abdominal cavity the intestinal level with the small intestine and large intestine, as well as the glandular level above the colon. We find the liver, pancreas, stomach and spleen there.

Due to the need, it is possible to accurately determine the location of the pain symptoms of individual organs three regions of the abdominal cavity, i.e. epigastric, mid-abdominal and lower abdomen. In the diagnosis of the abdominal cavity, the doctor may order abdominal ultrasound and X-rays, blood counts, urine tests and a number of other auxiliary tests to help determine the cause of the ailments.

Abdominal cavity – upper abdominal pain

Abdominal pain often manifests itself in its upper part, where there are glands important for the proper functioning of the digestive system. The ailments sometimes come from other organs – epigastric pain sometimes manifests as a heart attack. It is epigastric upper abdomenwhich covers the right and left subcostal area. If epigastric pain symptoms occur, which often also radiate to the abdomen and back, they may indicate a number of different diseases.

  1. Biliary colic – acute pain in the right or middle epigastric region may indicate cholelithiasis or acute cholangitis.
  2. Peptic ulcer disease – pain in the upper abdomen or abdomen (e.g. above the navel) in combination with heartburn, nausea, flatulence and other symptoms may indicate gastric and duodenal ulcers.
  3. Pancreatic diseases – acute or chronic pancreatitis.
  4. Injury of the spleen – pain located in the left hypochondrium, which sometimes radiates to the absence or takes the form of diffuse pain in the abdominal cavity, may indicate a rupture of the spleen.
  5. Other diseases that manifest as epigastric pain include: liver abscess, stomach cancer.

Abdominal cavity – pain in the lower abdomen

The lower abdomen is located below the navel, i.e. in abdominal area occupied by the intestines. Pain in this part of the body is a fairly non-specific symptom and does not always mean ailments of the digestive system. However, it may concern acute appendicitis – then the pain may begin in the mesogastrium, at the navel, and then spread to the right part of the lower abdomen.

Lower abdominal pain is also associated with intestinal diseases such as:

  1. bowel obstruction;
  2. intestinal diverticulitis;
  3. enteritis;
  4. acute intestinal ischemia;
  5. irritable bowel syndrome.

Also check:

  1. What are the symptoms of acute pancreatitis?
  2. Functional disorders of the stomach and duodenum

Often, lower abdominal pain is associated with ailments not related to the abdominal cavity, such as kidney stones, urinary tract infections, cystitis or hernia. In women, it can be menstrual cramps, gynecological diseases, uterine myoma, endometriosis or ovarian cancer.

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