Acute abdominal pain is not uncommon in our daily lives. Some abdominal pains are insignificant, but if left untreated, some abdominal pains may cause adverse consequences and even endanger life. Below is a brief introduction to the relevant knowledge of acute abdominal pain.
Firstly, what is acute abdominal pain? Acute abdominal pain refers to the sudden and persistent onset of abdominal pain that lasts for several hours or days. When people experience acute abdominal pain, the pain can be so severe that it is difficult to move or breathe, and they need to seek medical attention immediately. The symptoms of pain vary from person to person, and the pain may be dull, cramping, knife like pain, or burning pain. The patient may feel pain that affects the entire abdomen or only one part. Some patients may feel relieved when curled up, while others need to remain flat and completely still. Patients often feel discomfort in the stomach and experience dry vomiting or vomiting. Of course, not all patients with abdominal pain have acute abdominal pain. There are many reasons for acute abdominal pain, and only through careful collection of medical history, physical examination, appropriate laboratory and imaging examinations, can physicians accurately distinguish between situations that require surgery and those that do not. It is very likely that the diagnosis is still unclear after basic evaluation, and repeated physical and laboratory tests must be conducted at regular intervals to help establish the diagnosis or take further measures.
The common causes of acute abdominal pain in clinical practice mainly include the following:
1. Acute gastroenteritis: Acute abdominal pain may be caused by acute gastroenteritis, and patients may feel abdominal pain, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Patients with worsening conditions may have fever symptoms. Acute abdominal pain is mostly caused by the disease, or it may be caused by a cold in the abdominal cavity. It is best to understand the specific cause of abdominal pain.
2. Gastric and duodenal ulcers: Subacute abdominal pain may be caused by duodenal ulcers, and patients may experience abdominal pain. If there is long-term abdominal pain, it is best to go to the hospital for corresponding examinations. If there is frequent abdominal pain, be careful of stomach diseases and duodenal ulcers. Patients with stomach diseases also often experience abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal problems.
3. Acute appendicitis: Patients with appendicitis may experience continuous abdominal pain. Appendicitis is a common disease among many people. If there is a strong and persistent feeling of abdominal pain, be careful whether it is acute appendicitis. Acute appendicitis may have persistent subacute abdominal pain, and surgery should be used as soon as possible for treatment.
The characteristics of acute abdominal pain are sudden onset, complex etiology, and varying severity of the condition. If some abdominal pain is not diagnosed in a timely manner or treated improperly, it can have serious consequences and even endanger the patient's life. Therefore, sudden abdominal pain should not be taken lightly. Some cases of abdominal pain can be treated at home by the patient, some cases require prompt medical attention, and some cases require an ambulance to be called. Patients should go to the hospital under the supervision of a doctor. So how to deal with acute abdominal pain on site?
1. Comfort the patient and help relieve tension. Before going to the hospital for treatment, do not eat or drink to avoid aggravating vomiting. In addition, when emergency surgery is needed, the patient should also fast from water. Try to be in a supine position while bending both knees upwards to relieve abdominal pain.
2. For patients with acute abdominal pain, do not advise them to take any medication of unknown dosage or purpose, in order to avoid concealing the truth of the condition and delaying treatment. If it is a vomiting patient, turn your head to prevent vomiting and aspiration.
3. Elderly patients with abdominal pain should pay extra attention. Due to the slow response of elderly people to pain, when patients feel obvious pain, the disease may already be severe.
4. Infants and young children should also pay extra attention to abdominal pain. Infants and young children use crying to reflect various diseases. Once a child continues to cry incessantly, it is important to consider whether there is abdominal pain. Childhood intussusception, incarcerated hernia, appendicitis, and other common emergencies.
If upper abdominal pain is highly suspected to be related to heart disease, follow the emergency treatment for heart disease.