Abdominal pain: should you be worried?

There are many causes of abdominal pain, with some causes less dangerous than others. Therefore, it’s vital to get a diagnosis as soon as possible.

Mr Ashish Rohatgi is an upper gastrointestinal laparoscopic and general surgeon with a vast amount of knowledge on abdominal pain-causing conditions. Learn from him about when to seek help, what to expect during diagnosis for abdominal pain and what treatment you could be offered.

What are some common causes of abdominal pain?

Many conditions have the potential to cause abdominal pain. The most common are:

• Acid reflux
• Gallstones
• Diverticular disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Hernias
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Viral hepatitis
• Chronic pancreatitis
• Adhesions from a previous operation
• Cysts in the liver or spleen
• Cancer

When should you seek urgent medical attention for abdominal pain?

Anyone who has severe abdominal pain should go to the A&E department - without a doubt. Severe abdominal pain consists of, for example, pain that’s so severe that it’s impossible to get up, being unable to move and having a constant pain that’s not resolved with medication.

When should someone go to their GP or a specialist?

As abdominal pain can be a sign of a wide range of symptoms, any abdominal pain should be explored. If you’re experiencing abdominal pain that isn’t severe, it’s incredibly important to visit your GP or a gastroenterologist to determine the cause.

What might patients be asked at their consultation for abdominal pain?

At the consultation for abdominal pain, you’ll be asked a series of questions so that your doctor can get a history of your condition. For example:

• 'When did the abdominal pain start?'
• 'What is the nature of the pain?'
• 'Is the pain going anywhere?'
• 'What increases and decreases the pain?'
• 'Are there other associated symptoms with the abdominal pain?'

What tests could I expect?

If your abdominal pain isn't specific (i.e. not clearly caused by one specific part of the body) you’ll require scans. With abdominal pain, you can expect some form of scanning to take place, and perhaps an endoscopy. The most common scans are abdominal ultrasound and CT scan (CAT). You’ll also have a blood test.

In general, we aim to get tests for nonspecific abdominal pain done as soon as possible and sometimes, a few visits to the clinic are necessary if several tests are needed.

What happens if abdominal scans show no results?

Sometimes, there isn’t any visible cause of abdominal pain for scans to detect. If this and all other tests show no conclusive results, we sometimes offer physio, dietetic advice or a referral to a pain specialist.

What treatment can you be provided?

The treatment you’re offered will be specific to the cause of your abdominal pain. Treatment may involve:

• An endoscopy or colonoscopy;
• Further scans - more scans can be used to pinpoint issues and further explore the condition causing your abdominal pain;
• An operation - this is almost always the case for gallstones;
• A further consultant with a subspecialist in the problem you have;
• Dietetic advice;
• Physiotherapy.

In any case, we talk you through each suitable option for managing your abdominal pain.

Learn how you can benefit from Mr Rohatgi’s leading patient care by visiting his Top Doctors' profile.