What are some common causes of abdominal pain?

Answer: Abdominal pain is one of the most common types of pain. Most everyone experiences abdominal pain at some point in their lifetime. This pain seems to afflict women more often than men.

Abdominal pain is usually caused by inflammation. Some good examples of this would include appendicitis, diverticulitis, and colitis. Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix, and is usually caused by blockage. Diverticuli are bulging sacks located inside the colon, and diverticulitis is a condition caused by the rupture of these sacks. Colitis is a condition that occurs when the lining of the colon becomes inflamed.

Some other causes of abdominal pain are when organs become extended or stretched, usually from a blockage. Gallstones, for instance are caused by a blockage of bile ducts in the liver. Another example is hepatitis, which causes a swelling of the liver. Both of these conditions are quite common and cause extreme abdominal pain.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, often referred to as IBS, afflicts 15% of the people in the United States, but is very hard to diagnose. The abdominal pain associated with this condition can be chronic and debilitating. The syndrome occurs when muscles in the organs in the gastrointestinal track are not functioning normally. To transport body gasses properly, these muscles must be performing properly. There is a lot of disagreement on the exact cause an effect of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, with many questions being as yet unanswered.

Women often experience abdominal pain in the days leading up to their menstrual cycle. This pain seems to vary from woman to woman, but 90% of all women report having it to one degree or another. For some women it is very slight, but for others, the pain is so severe that it interferes with their day to day lives. Menstrual cramping in the abdominal area is caused by a condition called dysmenorrheal. Dysmenorrheal is usually caused by the shedding of the inner lining of the uterus.

If you suffer from any of the symptoms given above, you should consult your doctor. There are many prescription drugs and over the counter medications that have shown to greatly reduce the discomfort and frequency of abdominal pain.

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