Definition

Acute abdomen is sudden and severe pain in the belly. It can be a sign of a larger problem.

Abdominal Organs, Anterior View Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

Causes

There are many causes for abdominal pain, such as:

Inflammation in the:

• Appendix
• Gallbladder
• Pancreas

Health problems, such as:

• An infection or abscess
• Diarrhea
• Peptic ulcer
• Diverticulitis
• Ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Hernia
• Gallstones
• Kidney stones
• Ruptured or leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Cancer

Other problems such as:

• Blockage in the small or large intestine
• Lack of blood flow to the organs in the belly

In women:

• Menstrual cramps
• Endometriosis
• Uterine fibroids
• Ovarian cysts
• Pelvic inflammatory disease—inflammation around the organs in the pelvis because of an infection
• Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy

In babies:

• Intussusception—the intestines telescope causing a block
• Volvulus—a twisting of the large intestine around itself
• Hirschsprung disease

Risk Factors

The above problems raise the risk of a person having abdominal pain.

Symptoms

The symptoms a person has will depend on the cause. Common ones are:

• Severe pain, swelling, or tenderness in the upper, middle, or lower part of the belly
• Muscles in the belly that contract without control or are very tense
• Fever

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. You will be asked about your pain. A physical exam will be done. This will involve checking the pelvis and rectum.

Other tests may be:

• Blood tests
• Urine tests
• Ultrasound
• CT scan
• X-rays
• MRI scan
• Exploratory laparotomy—surgery to look for problems inside the belly

Treatment

Sometimes emergency treatment is needed.

The goal of treatment is to ease pain and treat what is causing it. Choices are:

• Diet or lifestyle changes
• Medicines, such as pain relievers
• Surgery

Prevention

Acute abdomen cannot always be prevented. It has many causes.