Abdominal pain is pain that is actually located between the chest and groin, says MedlinePlus. This pain can be sharp, dull and heavy. It may be constant or intermittent. Sometimes, abdominal pain can be the result of a serious and potentially fatal medical condition. Fortunately, the causes of severe abdominal pain have specific treatments.
Mesenteric Ischemia
Mesenteric ischemia refers to a medical problem in which the small intestine is not supplied with adequate amounts of blood. According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, mesenteric ischemia usually strikes people who are 60 years or older.
Symptoms of mesenteric ischemia include severe abdominal pain for about 15 to 60 minutes, that typically occurs in the middle to upper portion of the stomach. Other symptoms of mesenteric ischemia include weight loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and gas.
Atherosclerosis, a condition in which cholesterol accumulates in the blood vessels in the small intestines, is the cause for mesenteric ischemic. Low blood pressure, congestive heart failure, blood clotting disorders and an aortic dissection and a tear of a major blood vessel (aorta) can lead to mesenteric ischemia.
Treatment for mesenteric ischemia involves opening up the blocked vessels so that blood flow can resume. Surgery or a procedure called angioplasty, in which a balloon is inflated within the vessel, are a few ways to open up the blood vessel.
Intestinal Obstruction
The Mayo Clinic says that intestinal obstruction is a condition in which the small intestine and colon can no longer move along food or fluid along the digestive tract. Specific symptoms of intestinal obstruction include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, swelling of the stomach and problems having a bowel movement.
Intestinal obstruction can occur as a result of mechanical obstruction to the small intestine or colon. For example, tumors or bands of tissues (adhesions) can obstruct parts of the small intestine. Sometimes, impacted feces and swallowing a foreign object can lead to colon obstruction.
Paralytic ileus, a condition in which intestinal movement is minimal or non-existent, can also lead to intestinal obstruction.
The Mayo Clinic says that treatment for intestinal obstruction requires hospitalization. In the hospital, the affected individual will receive intravenous fluids and a nasogastric tube to remove any air from the intestines. A tube will be placed into the urethra to help drain urine. Sometimes, surgery may be needed to remove the obstruction.
Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer refers to a cancer that begins in the stomach. Specific symptoms of gastric cancer include severe stomach pain, vomiting blood, a poor appetite and dark stools. MedlinePlus also says that gastric cancer can lead to unintentional weight loss, stomach fullness and fatigue.
Risk factors for developing gastric cancer include having a family history of gastric cancer or a history of pernicious anemia or a gastric polyp (collection of tissue in the intestine).
Treatment involves chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to remove the cancerous gastric cells.
