Epigastric pain - causes. What does the pain in the upper abdomen mean?

The causes of epigastric pain - whether it is located on the left or right side of the abdomen - are varied. Pain in the upper abdomen can indicate many medical conditions, not just the digestive system. The final diagnosis depends on many factors such as accompanying symptoms (e.g. back pain), the nature of the pain (e.g. stabbing pain), its severity and the time of onset (e.g. at night). Check what the epigastric pain proves.

Epigastric painmeans pain locatedin the upper abdomen(above the navel). Abdominal pain is most often indicated by, but not limited to, digestive system diseases, regardless of whether it is located on the left or right side of the abdomen. The cause of epigastric pain may also include diabetes, ischemic heart disease, or thyroid disease. In these cases, epigastric pain is just one of the many symptoms.

Epigastric pain - causes. Digestive system diseases

• Esophageal reflux - symptoms such as esophageal burning, burning and pain behind the breastbone and epigastric region, belching and heartburn. Periodically, gastric contents from the stomach return to the esophagus, and even return food. This often happens when lying down and bending down.
• Heartburn - manifested by burning in the esophagus, acid reflux, reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, as well as burning pains behind the breastbone and epigastric region.
• Inflammation of the stomach or duodenum - characteristic is a feeling of fullness or pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, sometimes bleeding from the digestive system.
• Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum - constant pain accompanied by a burning sensation; pain in the fovea, appearing 1-2 hours after a meal (stomach ulcer); pain under the right costal arch, 3-5 hours after eating, as well as at night and on an empty stomach (duodenal ulcer), heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, constipation, weight loss, fatigue.
• Stomach cancer - epigastric pain occurs after meals and disappears when the patient is on an empty stomach. These pains do not lessen after taking antacids for ailments such as heartburn and stomach ulcers. Other symptoms include chronic burning sensation in the stomach, flatulence,nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, feeling weak, vomiting, blood in your stools.
• Pancreatitis - there is persistent and severe pain in the upper abdomen. It usually lasts more than a day, appears suddenly, and gets worse over time. The pain may vary in intensity on the left and right side of the abdomen, and sometimes it spreads down to the back. Occasionally, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever appear as the pain gets worse.
• Diseases of the bile ducts and the liver, e.g. cirrhosis of the liver, symptoms of which are upper abdominal pain on the right side (this is the side of this organ), constant fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss.

If painkillers from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen, ketoprofen) are taken for epigastric pain and the pain persists or even worsens, ulcers may be suspected. These types of medications aggravate the symptoms of peptic ulcer disease and may also cause ulcers.

Abdominal pain - diabetes

Long-term diabetes, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, often leads to the development of late diabetes complications. Some people with diabetes also suffer from autonomic neuropathy, i.e. damage to the nerves, e.g. those that control the activities of the gastrointestinal tract.

Its consequence may be gastroparesis, which disturbs (slows down) gastric emptying. Typical symptoms of gastroparesis are nausea, vomiting, early satiety, loss of appetite, epigastric pain, and gas. The rule of thumb is postprandial vomiting and vomiting containing undigested parts of food eaten many hours earlier.

Epigastric pain radiating to the back suggests pancreatitis.

Epigastric pain - diseases of the thyroid gland

The cause of gastroparesis may also be hypothyroidism, which is associated with a deficiency of thyroid hormones. The symptoms of hypothyroidism include excessive drowsiness, constant feeling of cold (even on hot days), frequent constipation, "bloated", swollen face, the so-called gill. Hair loss in the armpits, depressed mood and depressive thoughts, symptoms of "dirty knees", "dirty elbows", night blindness are also symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Epigastric pain - ischemic heart disease

Coronary artery disease is myocardial ischemia (and hence - hypoxia and its necrosis) associated with changes in the coronary arteries that bring blood to the heart.

The most characteristic symptom of the disease is chest pain, but sometimes painCoronary arteries may be located atypically, e.g. in the epigastrium. Pain in the course of coronary artery disease occurs during stress, during a meal or under the influence of cold air, as well as during exercise, and it subsides quite quickly (within 2-5 minutes) at rest.

This will be useful to you

Abdominal pain on the right side	Abdominal pain on the right or left	Abdominal pain on the left side
cholecystitis or biliary colic liver disease stomach or duodenal ulcer cryptic appendicitis (rarely)	pancreatitis shingles pneumonia (lower lung lung) pulmonary embolism myocardial ischemia radiculitis	gastritis spleen diseases

Abdominal pain - heart attack

Epigastric pain consists of the so-called heart attack abdominal mask. This is a group of unusual symptoms of a heart attack. Myocardial necrosis most often presents with pain behind the sternum, which is usually described as sharp and crushing, and shortness of breath. However, in some people, especially the elderly or those struggling with diabetes, a heart attack may not cause typical symptoms.

The abdominal mask of myocardial infarction is characterized by upper abdominal pain (mainly under the right costal arch), which is milder than in the course of a classic heart attack, with nausea and vomiting, and associated weakness.

These are symptoms indicative of an infarction of the lower wall of the heart - that is, the one that adjoins the abdominal cavity and the organs located in the epigastrium through the diaphragm. Then the pain may radiate to these areas and be associated with other ailments, typical of digestive system diseases.

Abdominal pain - pneumonia

Epigastric pain may also appear in the course of pneumonia, specifically inflammation of the lower lobe of the lung. The classic symptom of pneumonia is a breathless cough, chest pain and wheezing.

At the onset of the disease, the symptoms may resemble the flu: chills, fever, general breakdown and malaise. However, a person with lower pneumonia may develop a fever and experience abdominal pain, but do not report breathing problems.

Abdominal pain - shingles

Initially, the symptoms of shingles resemble a cold. The patient is irritable, has muscle aches, fever, sore throats and headaches.Then there is the so-called neurological pain. It usually occurs on one side of the body or face, depending on which nerve is affected. Very often these are areas around the waist, back, upper abdomen, and chest.

About the authorMonika Majewska A journalist specializing in he alth issues, especially in the areas of medicine, he alth protection and he althy eating. Author of news, guides, interviews with experts and reports. Participant of the largest Polish National Medical Conference "Polish woman in Europe", organized by the "Journalists for He alth" Association, as well as specialist workshops and seminars for journalists organized by the Association.

Read more articles by this author