High Abdominal Pain

High abdominal pain may be caused by various medical conditions and diseases. Some conditions may be non-serious while others can be life-threatening.

Medical Conditions

• Various medical conditions may cause high abdominal pain. Such conditions include angina, heart attack, aortic aneurysm, appendicitis, bile duct inflammation, gall bladder inflammation, gallstones, hepatitis, intestinal obstruction, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, pericarditis, pleurisy, pneumonia and small intestine inflammation.

Disease

• The most common disease responsible for high abdominal pain is gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Upper Left Abdominal Pain

• Pain that is located in the upper left abdominal area may be associated with diverticulitis, spleen enlargment, ruptured spleen, fecal impaction, hiatal hernia, kidney infection, kidney stones, pancreatitis and shingles.

Upper Right Abdominal Pain

• Pain that is located in the upper right abdominal area may be associated with hepatitis, liver cancer and stomach cancer.

Warning

• Seek emergency medical treatment if your abdominal pain is severe enough to prevent you from sitting still or if you feel the need to curl your body into a ball to relieve the pain. Also, you should seek medical treatment if the abdomen is swollen or tender to the touch.