Lower Left and Right Abdominal Pain

Aug

Lower Left and Right Abdominal Pain – Causes and Treatment

17-08-2010

Tagged Under : Abdominal Pain, Pain

Any discomfort or pain that occurs in the abdomen below the naval or the umbilicus is referred as lower abdominal pain. Also referred as suprapubic pain, it is occurs due to various reasons and medical conditions.

Lower abdominal pain in women is more common due to the presence of urine bladder, womb or uterus, upper part of vagina, upper cervix and fallopian tubes.

Lower Abdominal Pain during Pregnancy

Though a lower abdominal pain during pregnancy is caused mostly due to the same causes as in normal women, there are certain conditions that are linked only to pregnancy. Some of these specific and non-specific conditions leading to lower abdominal pain in pregnant women are:

Acute appendicitis
Gallbladder disease like cholecystitis or biliary colic
Infection in the urinary tract
Duodenal ulcer
Miscarriage
Constipation
Braxton hicks contraction
Polyhydramnios

Any pain in the abdomen during pregnancy is temporarily relieved by using certain antibiotics that are proven safe for pregnant women.

Abdominal quadrants pictures

Picture 1 : Lower left and right abdominal quadrants (highlighted)

Picture 2 : Upper left and right abdominal quadrants with abdominal organs (highlighted)

Source : wikimedia.org

Picture 3 : Upper right and left abdominal pain area (highlighted)

source : drshailja.com

The various causes of lower abdominal pain include the following:

Appendicitis
Constipation
IBS
Infection in the urinary tract
Diverticulitis
Ectopic pregnancy
Menstrual pain
Cystitis
Lower ureteric stones
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Fibroids
Endometrosis
Intestinal gas
Celiac disease
Crohn’s disease
Bowel cancer
Womb cancer or fallopian tubes
Pelvic pain syndrome
Bowel polyps

Due to this long list of reasons that can cause lower abdominal pain, for better understanding of the patient’s condition and correct diagnosis, any lower abdominal discomfort is divided into lower left abdominal pain and lower right abdominal pain.

The symptoms of lower abdominal pain in combination with other signs are carefully noticed to identify the exact medical disorder leading to the pain.

Abdominal pain in the lower left side is more commonly noticed than in the right side. The various organs and structures present in the lower left abdomen include:

Left ureter
Left kidney’s lower end
Sigmoid colon
In women, left ovary and tube
Some part of urinary bladder and the descending bowel (large).
Blood vessels, nerves, muscles and skin that covers the left abdominal wall.

Any disease or disorder in these structures or organs can give rise to lower left abdominal pain.

Causes of Lower Left Abdominal Pain

Some of the common medical disorders that lead to lower left abdominal pain are as follows:

Bowel cancer diagnosed in the left side of bowel results in severe lower left abdominal pain.
A swollen aorta resulting in ruptured or leaking abdominal aneurysm.
Trapped wind.
Any type of blockage in the bowel leads to abdominal pain. This obstruction can be either partial or total.
Constipation, both acute and chronic, leads to lower abdominal pain. A pain felt on the lower left side of abdomen indicates that the bowel is affected more on the left side
Transverse colon volvulus and Sigmoid volvulus causing bowel obstructions.
Crohn’s Disease.
Diverticulitis is another common cause of pain in the lower left abdomen.
Food poisoning could lead to burning lower abdominal pain in 1-48 hrs following a meal involving contaminated food.
A gut of the bowel pouching out though an irregular opening present in its wall leads to hernia. A hernia on the left side leads to bowel obstruction and thereby a lower left abdominal pain in men.
Any indemonstrable disorder in the gut’s functioning leads to an irritable bowel. This condition known as IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is among the most common causes of lower left abdominal pain in women.
Endometriosis results due to presence of a womb tissue on the external side of womb. It causes left abdominal pain in women if the left tube or ovary is affected.
Lower abdominal pain during pregnancy is usually caused due to ectopic pregnancy.
Another common reason of abdominal pain in both men and women is the presence of kidney stones and kidney infections.
Some other conditions that lead to lower back and abdominal pains include ovarian cyst, psoas abscess, rectus sheath hematoma and in some rare cases, henoch-schonlein-purpura.

An acute or chronic pain in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen is defined as lower right abdominal pain. This pain usually spreads to the left of backwards not necessarily being confined to the lower right abdomen. The various organs or structures found in the lower right abdomen are given below. Any disorders or illnesses linked to these organs or structures usually result in pain the lower right abdomen.

Appendix
Caecum
Ascending colon (large bowel’s first part)
Right kidney’s lower part
Right ovary and fallopian tube
Right part of womb
Lower part of liver
Small intestines
Blood vessels, nerves, muscles, skin and bones.

Causes of Lower Right Abdominal Pain

Following are some illnesses or medical conditions that lead to pain in the lower right abdomen:

The most common cause of lower right abdominal pain in the appendicitis. Starting as a dull pain, it later develops into severe abdominal pain on the lower right side.
Constipation
Bowel Cancer
Kidneys stones or stones in ureters on the right side lead to sudden lower right abdominal pain.
Ectopic pregnancy.
Bowel telescoping on itself leads to condition similar to bowel obstruction. Usually a common cause of lower right abdominal pain in children.
Endometriosis causes pain on the right side if the right tube or ovary is affected.
The pain due to a ruptured ovarian cyst on the right side leads to sudden severe pain on the lower right side of abdomen.
Ulcerative colitis
Various other medical conditions that lead to lower right abdominal pain in some cases include lymphoma, diverticulitis (very rare), right sided hernia, merkels diverticulum, mesenteric lymphadenitis, psoas abscess, pelvic inflammatory disease and salpingitis. Apart from these some other conditions are trapped wind, ureteric stone, caecum volvolus, sickle cell disease, twisted ovarian cyst (similar to ruptured ovarian cyst) and torsion of testis.

We have seen above that a lower abdominal pain, both left and right, can originate due to various reasons. This is precisely why it is difficult to diagnose or detect the exact reason for the pain. A thorough study of the various symptoms linked to the different medical conditions is necessary and then treating that condition.

To reduce the pain, various painkillers are prescribed until the correct diagnosis, though this can lead to complications in some cases. The other medicines available for abdominal pain relief are actually meant for the symptoms noticed. Any abdominal pain to be treated completely needs the root-cause to be eliminated.

Some of the common medications that provide temporary relief and are used in combination with other drugs include paracetamol, diclofenac, tramadol, cocodamol, codydramol, codeine phosphate, and pethidine and morphine injections.

References:

http://www.medicinenet.com/abdominal_pain/article.htm

http://www.healthline.com/symptomsearch?addterm=Lower%20Abdominal%20Pain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_pain

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