symptoms of digestive disorders
digestive disorders
Chronic Abdominal Pain and Recurring Abdominal Pain
Usually, chronic or recurring abdominal pain is centrally mediated (that is, people have pain but no specific physical disorder and no other gastrointestinal problem). Symptoms that require a doctor’s immediate attention include a high fever, loss of appetite or weight, pain that awakens the person, blood in stool or urine, jaundice, severe nausea and vomiting, difficulty swallowing, and swelling of the legs and/or abdomen. Blood and urine tests are usually done to check for disorders that may cause the pain. Additional tests are needed only if people have abnormal test results, warning signs, or symptoms of a specific disorder. For centrally mediated pain, treatment involves learning to minimize stress or anxiety, participating in normal daily activities, a trial of fiber supplements and/or high-fiber foods, drugs that reduce or stop muscle spasms in the digestive tract, and sometimes taking drugs or using behavioral modification therapies to relieve anxiety, and/or altering the diet. 