Pain in the right side in women and men

Pain in the right side is a symptom of many diseases. Each pathology requires a certain diagnosis, treatment and subsequent specific prevention. Therefore, it is important to know the main diseases that are manifested by pain in the right side.

Physiology of men and women

Right side – the space between the right iliac region and the right hypochondrium. In the middle it is limited by the umbilical (mesagastric) region.

In the right lateral region are such organs as:

liver;
gall bladder;
right kidney and ureters;
part of the pancreas;
part of the small intestine
part of the stomach
caecum, appendix.

Pain in a particular organ is not always accurately projected. Most often, unpleasant sensations spread along the course of nerves and blood vessels. Therefore, some organs that are not located in the area of the right side can “sick” in this particular area.

In women, in the pelvic area is the uterus with appendages and the vagina, in men – the prostate gland and seminal vesicles. Therefore, it is important for pain in the right side to exclude inflammation in these organs and systems.

Causes of pain in the right side

It is difficult to answer the question of what hurts in the right side. There are over 20 different diseases that project pain into this area. We list the most common ones.

Cholecystitis

Inflammation of the gallbladder is one of the possible causes of pain in the right side.

Causes – stagnation of bile, infectious diseases, cholelithiasis, disruption of the biliary tract.
Symptoms – pain in the right side, which may radiate to the right arm or collarbone. Also manifestations are: flatulence, nausea, vomiting. Most often, symptoms appear after errors in the diet (fatty, smoked foods, alcoholic beverages), stressful situations.

Cholelithiasis

This is a disease that is characterized by the formation of stones in the gallbladder or ducts.

Causes – violation of the metabolism of cholesterol and bilirubin, genetic predisposition, malnutrition.
Symptoms – colitis in the right side, a feeling of acute, cutting pain in the right hypochondrium, which is accompanied by vomiting and dyspeptic disorders.

Cirrhosis

This is a chronic liver disease in which normal organ tissue is replaced by fibrous tissue.

The reasons – alcohol abuse, hepatitis B, C, fermentopathy.
Symptoms – dull pain in the right hypochondrium, often occurring after drinking alcoholic beverages, fatty foods. Reception of antispasmodics does not give a positive effect. With the progression of the disease, jaundice, pruritus, nosebleeds, ascites are observed. Characteristic signs are: “drumsticks” (thickening of the phalanges of the fingers), “hour glasses” (changes in the nail plates), “spider veins”.

Hepatitis

This is an inflammatory disease of the liver.

The reasons – viruses, excessive alcohol consumption, taking certain medications, autoimmune process, complications of certain diseases.
Symptoms – Constant, pulling pain in the right side, which is aggravated by physical exertion or errors in the diet. There is yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, nausea, vomiting, bitterness in the mouth, increased fatigue.

Acute pancreatitis

This is inflammation of the pancreas.

The reasons – alcohol abuse, frequent intake of fatty foods, gallstones, certain diseases of infectious or bacterial etiology, trauma or surgery on the pancreas, taking certain medications.
Symptoms – pain in the right side, often shrouding, nausea, vomiting that does not bring relief. Symptoms worsen (appear) after eating fatty foods or alcohol.

Cancer of the head of the pancreas

It is a malignant tumor that affects the pancreas. This oncological disease is the most aggressive with late diagnosis and high mortality.

The reasons – malnutrition, smoking and alcohol abuse, other diseases of the liver and biliary tract, long-term toxic effects.
Symptoms – pain in the right side (constant, aching), loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rapid weight loss.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach, 12 duodenal ulcer

This is a chronic, recurrent disease of the stomach and / or duodenum, which is characterized by the formation of a defect (ulcer) in the wall of the organ.

The reasons – H. pylori infection, stress, taking certain medications (especially NSAIDs), diseases of other organs and systems.
Symptoms – pain in the right side that occurs after eating, after 1,5 hours, or “hungry” pain. There is also nausea, vomiting that brings relief, belching¹.

Gastritis

This is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach.

The reasons – infection (usually H. pylori), taking certain drugs, alcohol abuse, stress, malnutrition, diseases of the digestive tract, autoimmune process.
Symptoms – pain in the right side that occurs 30 minutes after eating, belching, heartburn, vomiting, stool disturbance.

Retrocecal appendicitis

This is an inflammation of the appendage of the caecum, which is located behind it.

The reasons – circulatory disorders, stagnation of feces, injuries, some infectious diseases.
Symptoms – pain in the right side, in the lumbar region, loose stools with mucus, nausea, vomiting, fever up to 39 degrees.

pyelonephritis

This is an inflammatory process, predominantly of a bacterial nature, which leads to damage to the tubular system of the kidney.

The reasons – bacteria (E. coli, staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and others).
Symptoms – dull pain in the right side, lumbar region, fever up to 39 degrees, weakness, increased sweating, loss of appetite.

Renal colic

This is an attack of severe pain due to a violation of the outflow of urine to the bladder.

The reasons – stone (with urolithiasis), kink of the ureter, compression of the ureter, inflammatory diseases, developmental anomalies.
Symptoms – Sharp, cramping pain in the right side. It can spread to the rectum, ileum, umbilical region. Because of the pain of renal colic, a person constantly rushes about and cannot find a position in which the discomfort will be at least a little less. Spasmolytics give a positive effect.

Angina pectoris

This is a pain syndrome that occurs due to insufficient oxygen supply to the myocardium.

The reasons – atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia (hypertension, anemia, hypoxia, thyrotoxicosis, excessive smoking).
Symptoms – Pressing pain behind the sternum that appears after stress, physical activity, heavy meals. Unpleasant sensations can spread to the right side, upper limb. The duration of the pain is not more than 5 minutes. Taking nitroglycerin has a positive effect².

Myocardial infarction

This is an acute disease that is characterized by blockage of the coronary artery by a thrombus, which leads to the death of the heart muscle.

The reasons – atherosclerosis, thrombosis.
Symptoms – an attack of burning, arching pain behind the sternum, radiating to the upper limb, face, to the right side. There is a feeling of fear of death. Pain does not improve with rest and does not improve with nitroglycerin.

Pneumonia

This is an infectious and inflammatory disease of the lungs.

The reasons – bacteria (pneumococcus, staphylococcus, Haemophilus influenzae and others), mycoplasma, viruses, fungal infections.
Symptoms – pain in the chest area, can spread to the right side area. Fever up to 39 degrees, cough (usually with mucopurulent sputum), fatigue, sweating.

Subdiaphragmatic abscess

This is a collection of pus under the diaphragm.

The reasons – complication of acute inflammatory diseases, injuries of the chest and / or abdominal cavity.
Symptoms – heaviness and pain in the hypochondrium, right side, increased fatigue, sweating, fever up to 38 degrees.

Shingles (herpes)

This is a disease of viral etiology, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is characterized by unilateral skin rashes with severe pain.

The reasons – chickenpox virus, which was activated under the influence of provoking factors (stress, trauma, hypothermia, infectious diseases).
Symptoms – itching and pain along the nerve trunks (right side), headache, fever, the appearance of specific rashes for 2-4 days.

Treatment of pain in the right side

Pain in the right side is a symptom of many diseases. In order to determine the treatment, it is important to correctly diagnose and consult with a specialist. It is not recommended to relieve pain in the right side on your own.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of pain in the right side is complicated by the fact that a large number of diseases require specific diagnosis. However, there are basic laboratory and instrumental methods that help determine the cause.

Laboratory diagnostic methods:

general urinalysis – pathology of the urinary system;
complete blood count – diagnosis of anemia (hemoglobin), thrombocytopenia, inflammation (leukocytes, ESR);
biochemical blood test – pathology of the liver (ALAT, bilirubin and its fractions), kidneys (urea, creatinine), heart (ASAT, L D G, troponins), pancreas (alpha-amylase, lipase), albumin, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, cholesterol.

Instrumental diagnostic methods:

ECG – pathology of the heart;
Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and kidneys;
Ultrasound of the small pelvis;
fluorography, radiography of the lungs;
esophagogastroduodenoscopy with the definition of H.pilory;
CT, MRI of the abdomen or chest.

Modern treatments

Medicine does not stand still, so in the 21st century there is a large selection of treatment methods. It should be borne in mind that each method is selected by the doctor individually based on the symptoms, medical history, concomitant diseases, data from laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods.

Exist:

non-drug methods (psychological, physiotherapeutic, electrical stimulation, acupuncture);
medical methods;
surgical intervention (diagnostic (biopsy), radical, palliative);
beam method;
chemotherapy;
hormone therapy.

Depending on the disease, its stage, one or another method of treatment is individually selected. The most commonly used combined method (which includes 2-3 methods).

Prevention of pain in the right side at home

“It is easier to prevent a disease than to cure it” – Hippocrates. Prevention of diseases will help to avoid serious complications in the future. It is possible that prevention will not be able to completely get rid of the onset of diseases, but it will make the quality of life much higher than it could be.

The main points of prevention:

rejection of bad habits;
proper and balanced nutrition;
sufficient physical activity;
regular examination by a therapist;
constant intake of prescribed drugs;
regular delivery of tests and basic studies (FLG, ECG, ultrasound, FGDS).

By following these simple rules, you can prevent the development of many diseases.