symptoms of digestive disorders
digestive disorders
Acute Abdominal Pain
There are different types of abdominal pain depending on the structures involved. Visceral paincomes from the organs within the abdominal cavity (which are called the viscera). The viscera's nerves do not respond to cutting, tearing, or inflammation. Instead, the nerves respond to the organ being stretched (as when the intestine is expanded by gas) or surrounding muscles contract. Visceral pain is typically vague, dull, and nauseating. It may be hard to pinpoint. Upper abdominal pain results from disorders in organs such as the stomach, duodenum, liver, and pancreas. Midabdominal pain (near the navel) results from disorders of structures such as the small intestine, upper part of the colon, and appendix. Lower abdominal pain results from disorders of the lower part of the colon and organs in the genitourinary tract. Somatic paincomes from the membrane (peritoneum) that lines the abdominal cavity (peritoneal cavity). Unlike nerves in the visceral organs, nerves in the peritoneum respond to cutting and irritation (such as from blood, infection, chemicals, or inflammation). Somatic pain is sharp and fairly easy to pinpoint. is pain that is felt in an area that is distant from the source ( see Figure: What Is Referred Pain? ). For example, a person who has gallbladder disease may feel pain in the shoulder blade. The source of the pain is the gallbladder, which is located in the abdomen, but the pain is felt in the shoulder. Pain felt in one area of the body does not always represent where the problem is because the pain may be referred there from another area. For example, pain produced by a heart attack may feel as if it is coming from the arm because sensory information from the heart and the arm converge on the same nerve pathways in the spinal cord. Peritonitis is inflammation of the peritoneal cavity. It is very painful and almost always signals a very serious or life-threatening disorder. It can result from any abdominal problem in which the organs are inflamed or infected. Common examples include Appendicitis , Once peritonitis has been present for a number of hours, the inflammation causes fluid to leak into the abdominal cavity. The person may then develop dehydration and go into shock. Inflammatory substances released into the bloodstream may affect various organs, causing severe lung inflammation, kidney failure, liver failure, and other problems. Without successful treatment, people may die. 