Dietary indiscretions, allergies, chronic intestinal inflammation, food poisoning and viruses can all cause gastrointestinal, or GI, cramps, which are often accompanied by other symptoms of an unhappy intestinal tract such as bloating or diarrhea. Most of the time, GI cramping is self-limiting and not caused by a serious medical problem, according to MedlinePlus.
Causes
Sometimes the causes of GI cramps are obvious. Gas and bloating cause most abdominal cramping, according to MedlinePlus. If you have lactose intolerance, eating a large amount of dairy foods will produce GI symptoms. A known food allergy may also cause easily identifiable symptoms. Viruses such as the norovirus or rotavirus often sweep through a group of people in close proximity to one another within a short incubation period of one to five days. Food poisoning may produce cramping anywhere from two hours to 12 days after exposure, depending on the agent. If you have Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome or gluten sensitivity, GI cramping may be an unfortunate part of daily life.
Diagnosis
You can't treat GI cramping effectively until you know what's causing it. Diagnosing bacterial or parasitic infections may require blood tests or stool tests. Diagnosing chronic intestinal disorders may require more invasive testing such as X-rays, barium swallow or barium enema, a CT scan or colonoscopy. Self-limiting conditions such as viruses normally don't require diagnostic tests. Allergies and sensitivities such as lactose or gluten intolerance may be diagnosed through allergy testing or food elimination testing.
Treatments
Avoiding offending substances may eliminate some cases of GI cramping. If eating spicy foods, eating too late at night or overeating causes GI cramping, changes to your dietary habits can eliminate the cramping. Washing raw produce well, avoiding rare meat and scrupulous hand-washing may help prevent food poisoning. Chronic intestinal disorders are notoriously difficult to treat and may require trial and error to determine whether dietary measures, medications or a combination of treatments will work best.
Considerations
Gastrointestinal cramping accompanied by diarrhea can lead to serious dehydration, especially in small children, the elderly and debilitated people. Cramping could also signal a potentially serious chronic gastrointestinal illness such as ulcerative colitis, requiring long-term medical management to avoid permanent damage to the intestines. Cramping that lasts longer than a week or that doesn't start to improve in 24 to 48 hours requires medical evaluation, according to MedlinePlus.
