Abdominal Chronic Pain

According to Merck, abdominal pain is considered chronic if it lasts intermittently or continuously for three months or longer. Chronic abdominal pain may be a frustrating condition that takes time to diagnose and correct.

Significance

• According to Merck, 2 percent of adults and 10 percent of children suffer from chronic abdominal pain.

Identification

• Physicians often face challenges when attempting to identify the cause of chronic abdominal pain. Often, a proper diagnosis requires many doctor visits and numerous tests.

Causes

• Causes of chronic abdominal pain may include irritable bowel syndrome, gall stones, inflamed gall bladder, hepatitis, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, Crohn's disease, gastic cancer, intestinal TB, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, food allergies, lead poisoning and sickle cell disease. Causes of chronic abdominal pain in women include ovarian cysts, ovarian cancer and endometriosis. Chronic abdominal pain in children may occur as the result of constipation, lactose intolerance and gastroentestinal reflux.

Considerations

• If will be helpful to your physician if you keep notes concerning your abdominal pain. Notes should include information about how eating certain foods affects the pain and other symptoms that occur along with the chronic abdominal pain.

Warning

• A physician should evaluate chronic abdominal pain accompanied by fever, weight loss, bloody urine or stool, jaundice and swelling. Also, severe pain that interferes with daily functioning or disrupts sleep requires evaluation.