Causes of lower stomach pains

Causes of lower stomach pains

What Causes Sharp Stomach Pains?

By Neal Kennedy

When people talk about having sharp stomach pains, they may actually be describing pains that don't originate in the organ known as the stomach itself. The words stomach pain are commonly used to describe any discomfort that we feel in the area between the bottom of the breastbone and the groin. Much of this area would be described more accurately as the abdominal region. Be that as it may, most people will use the words stomach pains to describe sharp pains in the area rather than abdominal pains.

In this article, we'll forego describing causes of pain that originate in the lower abdomen - like groin pain and appendicitis - and focus on pain caused by disorders and diseases in the area from the bottom of the ribcage to just below the naval. That still gives us a lot of sharp stomach pain causes to talk about.

Over indulging - The simple act of eating too much or eating too fast may result in stomach discomfort. You may also eat something you shouldn't: certain foods cause allergic reactions in your body, or may just be too hard for your digestive system to handle.

Stomach viruses - Of course, there are temporary stomach illnesses and conditions which may cause sharp stomach pains. These include a stomach virus (commonly called the "stomach flu"), which also tends to produce nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Gastritis - Gastritis is a disorder that is characterized by inflammation or erosion in an area of the stomach lining. Stomach ulcers are a form of gastritis which can actually cause intense, extremely sharp stomach pains.

Acid reflux - Most people are familiar with a condition called heartburn. This condition, also known as acid reflux, occurs when powerful stomach acid erupts past the valve that separates the stomach from the esophagus. Since the tissues of the esophagus are considerably more sensitive than stomach lining, part of the esophagus is damaged by the acid. This results in stinging or burning pain.

Cancer - Sadly, many forms of cancer cause no pain until they reach a dangerous phase. But at a certain point, sharp pain is a common sign. Stomach cancer is relatively rare in the United States at the moment, but anyone who has it is likely to experience sharp abdominal pain.

Gallbladder problems - If you suddenly start to feel sharp stomach pains shortly after you have a rich, fatty, high cholesterol meal, you may be having a gallbladder attack. Gallbladder problems generally occur when too much cholesterol enters the gallbladder all at once, and the gallbladder has trouble processing it properly. A gallbladder attack not only causes sharp stomach pains, but can also trigger pains in the side and the back between the shoulder blades.

Gallstones, another form of gallbladder trouble, can cause severe discomfort in the upper abdomen too.

Liver trouble - There are many different types of liver problems that cause pain in the stomach area. These mainly include cirrhosis and hepatitis, which are forms of liver inflammation. Upper abdominal pain is a common symptom of another liver-related condition called ascites. Ascites occurs when fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity.

Pancreas problems - Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas and is the leading cause of pain involving the pancreas. The pancreas helps regulate the way the body processes sugar, and when it gets inflamed, it causes sharp pain in the stomach area.

Spleen - Splenomegaly is the medical term for an enlarged spleen. Once you have splenomegaly, it is usually a sign that there is some other underlying disorder or disease. Infection, anemia, or cancer are among the possible causes. A ruptured spleen, which is usually caused by a blow or injury of some type, will result in sharp stomach pains.

Conclusion - This article is intended solely to give you an overview of some possible reasons for sharp stomach pains. In many cases, such pains disappear after a while without treatment. But intense abdominal pain, or moderate stomach pain that persists for more than one day or so, is worth a consultation with your doctor.

For more information on this and related topics, click on sharp stomach pains [http://www.stomach-problems.info/sharp-stomach-pains.html] and stomach problems [http://www.stomach-problems.info].

Neal Kennedy is a retired radio and television reporter with a special interest in medical topics.

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Important safety tips for women

Important safety tips for women

urge everyone to read the following paragraphs. We've done at least one of these things … no more.
NOT ALL THIEVES ARE STUPID!!

A very interesting article. The electronic age has produced electronic criminals.

1. A friend of a friend left their car in the long-term parking at the airport while traveling and someone broke into the car. Using the information on the car's registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people's home in Pebble Beach and robbed it. So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should not leave the registration/insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener.

This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.

2. GPS.
A police report states that someone had their car broken into while they were at a football game. The car was parked in a designated parking lot adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a gun, a garage door remote control and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it ... Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

3. MOBILE PHONES

I never thought of this.......

This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen …20
minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:

a. Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc. ...

b. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

c. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you..

*PLEASE PASS THIS ON

* I never thought about the above!

Even if this does not pertain to you....Pass it on to your family and friends.