Pain in the right hypochondrium

Pain is a signal to the body about the occurrence of a pathological condition, illness or injury. For a person, pain has a protective function, as it indicates the need for treatment in time.

Causes of pain in the right hypochondrium

Anatomically, the upper right quadrant of the abdomen includes: liver, gallbladder, part of the diaphragm and small intestine, duodenum, right kidney, pancreas.

Diseases and injuries of these organs can activate the occurrence of pain in the right side under the ribs:

• Violation of the patency of the biliary tract (cholecystitis). A sharp, acute pain that suddenly began, especially at night, is formed when the biliary tract is obstructed and in acute cholecystitis. In the case of an increase in the tone of the gallbladder, its tendency to contract increases, and the frequency and strength of its contractions also increase. Such processes are accompanied by sharp and short-term pain and are often provoked by nervous tension and stress.

• Ulcerative duodenitis of the duodenum. Stitching pain primarily indicates ulcerative duodenitis of the duodenum. The main cause of this pathology is the vital activity of the bacterium Helicobacter Pylori, which destroys the intestinal mucosa. Stitching and even “dagger” pain mainly occurs at night, its intensity decreases after food enters the digestive system. There are also general symptoms: hyperthermia, bloating, nausea, feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, general malaise.

• Renal colic. Patients complain of stabbing pain in renal colic. In this case, the pain becomes unbearable and does not change with a change in body position. The pain is caused by the presence of stones in the urinary system, which with sharp edges damage the mucous membrane of the urinary system and cause congestion.

• Pancreatitis. Throbbing pain indicates pancreatitis. The exact cause of inflammation of the pancreas has not been established. Pathology begins with throbbing, intense, girdle pain. If these symptoms occur, the patient needs immediate hospitalization and urgent surgical treatment. Pronounced pain in the right square of the abdomen is observed during the transition of pancreatitis from the acute to the chronic stage and is amenable to conservative treatment.

Aching pain in the right side speaks of liver diseases:

• Liver diseases. The vast majority of people with liver diseases turn to doctors with the appearance of severe pain, although it is preceded by a slight aching pain. Each type of viral hepatitis to some extent proceeds with a feeling of aching pain. A long period of development of viral hepatitis is asymptomatic. The severity of symptoms depends on the activity of the pathogen virus. (General manifestations of the disease: chronic fatigue, decreased performance, systemic disorders with hyperthermia. Local symptoms are a feeling of heaviness and aching pain in the liver, the acquisition of a yellow tint by the skin, a change in the transparency of urine. An accurate diagnosis is established only by laboratory analysis for markers of hepatitis.)

• Cirrhosis of the liver. Unfortunately, pain in this pathology appears already in the last stages of the disease. In the first stages, there is no pain, although an inflammatory process develops in the liver. Subsequently, it leads to the death of a significant number of hepatocytes. Connective tissue is formed in the liver instead of dead cells. The body can no longer perform its functions. At this time, aching pain occurs in the right abdomen under the ribs.

• Liver cancer. With a slight pain syndrome in combination with weight loss, chronic fatigue, subfebrile temperature, an increase in the size of the organ, it is necessary to consult an oncologist.

• Inflammatory processes.

Dull pain is characteristic of frequently occurring inflammatory processes in the right hypochondrium:

1. Chronic cholecystitis. This is inflammation of the gallbladder, which proceeds slowly and gradually and passes against the background of cholelithiasis. The disease arises from damage to the inner wall of the bladder stones. As a result, the wall thickens and becomes covered with ulcers, which eventually scar. Such changes lead to stagnation and deterioration of the outflow of bile. A person with chronic cholecystitis feels mild pain on the right side of the abdomen, vomiting, and bloating. Pain symptoms are especially aggravated after malnutrition, especially fats.

2. Chronic pancreatitis. Chronic inflammation of the pancreas may be the result of untreated acute pancreatitis or cholelithiasis. With the course of the disease, irreversible changes occur in the organ in the form of replacement of the parenchyma of the organ with connective tissue. Such processes disrupt the main functions of the gland, including the production of digestive enzymes and the hormone insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels. Patients suffer from dull pain that occurs under the ribs on the right and left side after eating, a feeling of bloating and heaviness of the abdomen, dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting.

3. Chronic pyelonephritis. This is an inflammatory process in the pyelocaliceal system of the kidney. Pain in chronic unilateral pyelonephritis is often felt on the opposite side of the diseased kidney. The pain worsens after physical exertion. In patients for no apparent reason, the temperature of the body increases, urination becomes more frequent, and blood pressure rises. Also, patients note chronic fatigue, headaches, deterioration in working capacity.

4. chronic hepatitis. Half of the cases of acute hepatitis that are not fully treated become chronic. The symptomatology of this disease is very individual and depends on the state of the functional state of the body and the causes of gastritis. The presence in the patient of aching and pulling pain in the right abdomen under the ribs, bouts of nausea, flatulence and vomiting, loss of appetite, intolerance to fats and alcohol may indicate chronic hepatitis. An objective examination shows a moderate increase in the size of the liver, palpation of which causes dull pain.

5. Chronic duodenitis. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the duodenum provokes dull pain in the right and upper abdomen, nausea and vomiting with bile, loss of appetite, heartburn and frequent diarrhea. Duodenitis is anatomically interconnected with the pancreas and bile glands, so it often occurs in parallel with inflammatory processes in these glands.

Gynecological aspects of pain in the right hypochondrium

1. Ectopic pregnancy. Normally, a fertilized egg moves into the uterine cavity for attachment and development. If this process is violated and the egg is fixed in another place, an ectopic pregnancy occurs. Gynecological symptoms: absence of menstruation, combined with bloody discharge. Such a pathology is accompanied by a pain syndrome in the form of pulling pains in the right or left side of the abdomen, depending on the place of attachment of the egg. The pain arises from overstretching, and sometimes rupture of the fallopian tube. You should immediately contact the hospital for hospitalization and termination of pregnancy.

2. Acute or chronic adnexitis. Sometimes in women with inflammatory processes of the uterine appendages, pain can be localized in the right or left hypochondrium. In addition, there is hyperthermia, impaired urination, vomiting, purulent discharge from the genitals, nausea, pain in the lower abdomen.

3. Torsion of an ovarian cyst. Such a dangerous condition is treated only surgically, and the earlier it is diagnosed, the more favorable the result of treatment. Symptoms of torsion are: pain in the abdomen with irradiation in the hypochondrium, the occurrence of bleeding, high body temperature, general weakness and malaise.

Pain in the right hypochondrium with acute appendicitis

The appendix is ​​a lymphoid organ that takes part in the immune defense of the digestive system. It is located in the region of the right iliac bone, but its position is quite variable. This causes difficulties in diagnosing inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis has its own distinct stages of development, which can only be diagnosed by a surgeon.

The signs of the disease are:

• Diffuse pain in the navel and stomach;

• Pain for three hours is localized in the right side of the abdomen;

• Reduction of pain syndrome in the supine position on the right side;

• Increased pain when walking and lying on the left side;

• Against the background of pain, general well-being worsens, body temperature rises, vomiting and diarrhea occur.

In such cases, emergency surgical treatment is carried out in a surgical hospital.

Thoracic osteochondrosis and pain in the right hypochondrium

Degenerative changes in the thoracic spine affect all the internal organs of the abdomen and are difficult to diagnose.

Chest osteochondrosis is accompanied by:

• Pain in both hypochondria and intercostal space;

• Increased pain when inhaling and exhaling, tilting the body, raising arms.

In this place of the body, on the right side, the back can hurt very much precisely because of thoracic osteochondrosis.

The occurrence of pain in the right hypochondrium in myocardial infarction

There is a possibility of localization of pain in the right hypochondrium in the abdominal form of myocardial infarction. With this type of heart attack (necrosis of a section of the heart muscle due to the cessation of its blood supply), acute pain occurs in the epigastric and hypochondrium regions. The pain becomes unbearably burning and is not quenched by nitroglycerin or other painkillers.

In order to avoid death, immediate hospitalization in the cardiology department is indicated.

Shingles and pain in right side

Shingles is caused by a virus that belongs to the herpesvirus family. The pathological process proceeds along the nerve intercostal endings. At the beginning of the disease, with damage to the right intercostal area, there is acute pain in the hypochondrium, subfebrile indicators, and severe itching.

On the second day, red edematous spots appear, in place of which bubbles with a clear liquid form on the 3-4th day. At this time, regional lymph nodes also increase, and the pain syndrome becomes more intense. As a result of the disease, the bubbles burst, in their place areas of persistent pigmentation are formed. After recovery, some patients may experience postherpetic neuralgia with pain in the hypochondrium, which is difficult to treat.

Children’s helminthiases, accompanied by pain in the right hypochondrium

Helminthiasis is a group of human diseases caused by parasitic worms. Pain in the right hypochondrium can be observed in the second stage of development of ascariasis (intestinal).

This phase is characterized by: loss of appetite, nausea, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. Neurological symptoms include hyperexcitability, deterioration of intelligence, development of asthenic signs. In rare cases, it is possible for roundworms to penetrate from the intestines through the bile ducts into the liver and gallbladder. Under such circumstances, the child may experience a sharp pain, as in an attack of acute cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, hepatitis.

In conclusion, I would like to note that with the appearance of the pain described above, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor. This will avoid the development of severe pathologies and timely conduct a comprehensive treatment of the disease.