Stomach ache: why pain occurs and what to do

Causes of stomach pain

Pain in the stomach can indicate that you have put on too tight clothes or drank an extra cup of coffee, and about an ulcer, gastritis, or oncology.

Everyone experiences stomach pain at least once in a lifetime. Pain in the stomach can be associated with some diseases, such as gastritis, pancreatitis or an ulcer, or it can be explained more simply - poisoning or overloading the stomach with food. It all depends on the nature of the pain, its duration, time of appearance - before or after meals.

In most cases, it will not be possible to cure a sick stomach at home - most likely, the pain is a symptom of a serious illness, and not the result of normal overeating, after which the discomfort will pass by itself.

Stomach pain after eating

Gastritis or ulcer

Pain that occurs in the stomach after eating can indicate diseases such as gastritis or an ulcer. If the pain is dull and aching and occurs after eating, you may be dealing with gastritis. If you feel painful cramps after some time after eating or at night - it is possible that you have an ulcer.

Both diseases are associated with damage to the gastric mucosa, only with gastritis we are talking about inflammation of the mucosa, and with an ulcer it can reach a hole in the stomach and bleeding. Every patient with gastritis in the future risks becoming a ulcer. An ulcer can cause death. Gastritis is a frequent companion of those who neglect a healthy diet and regimen; an ulcer occurs in people who are forced to live in constant stress.

It is noteworthy that exacerbations in peptic ulcers occur in autumn and spring - during periods that are marked by exacerbation of many nervous diseases. The difference between an ulcer and erosion is that this “hole” in the mucosa heals, leaving a scar behind it.

How to distinguish an ulcer from gastritis?

With gastritis, pain can be bothered around the clock, with an ulcer more often they occur at night. In the case of gastritis, flatulence, heartburn, belching, nausea, plaque on the tongue are an addition to pain. With an ulcer, in addition to pain, a person complains of nausea, vomiting, sometimes with blood, indigestion and constipation, weakness and decreased performance.

Duodenal ulcer

If the pain occurs a few hours after eating, you may be dealing with a duodenal ulcer. It occurs due to the action of acid on the intestinal membrane. Also, the patient complains of belching, bloating, heartburn, poor sleep, weight loss. Pain with an ulcer can give off to the heart or back.

Heartburn

Pain, discomfort in the stomach, accompanied by heartburn, can occur due to overeating and malnutrition. If such pains rarely torment you, you can try to eliminate them with the help of drugs that eliminate the increased acidity of the stomach, promote digestion, and fight heartburn.

Irritation of the mucous membrane and pain in the stomach can cause not only improper nutrition and plentiful meals, but also coffee, alcohol, too tight clothes, sour and spicy foods. If, after the exclusion of the entire list of causes of pain continues, you should consult a doctor.

Acute abdominal pain

if such pain occurs suddenly, it may indicate the presence of pancreatitis, cholecystitis or a duodenal ulcer;

if the patient complains of short painful cramps that appear for a few seconds when inhaling or when the patient rises or sits abruptly, this may indicate inflammation or circulatory disturbance;

if the pain resembles cramping, the cause is a gastrointestinal infection;

if the pain does not leave for several days and only then becomes weaker, this can indicate a pathology in the large intestine, for example, colitis;

if the pain is concentrated in the navel, and then goes to the right side - perhaps this is appendicitis.

Important! Do not guess the disease according to the descriptions on the Internet, since we can also talk about bowel obstruction, intestinal vascular thrombosis, irritable bowel syndrome and other serious diseases that cannot be cured without the help of doctors.

Stomach cramps

Short painful contractions of the stomach occur in the presence of diseases such as gastritis, gastroduodenitis, pancreatitis, a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer. There may also be talk about cholecystitis, colitis, erosion of the stomach, polyps or neoplasms in the stomach, gastroduodenitis, or circulatory disorders.

But the reason may be simpler. Most often, stomach cramps occur due to an irresponsible attitude to one’s own health - at this stage a person can still cope with pain by adjusting his diet and lifestyle. So, pain in the form of spasms can occur due to malnutrition, bad habits, stress.

To get rid of them, you should exclude harmful products from the diet, limit coffee, start eating properly and regularly, not get nervous about nothing, say goodbye to cigarettes and alcohol.