Epigastric region. Where is it located, what is it, why does it hurt, colitis, swelling, bulging, spasms, heaviness, what to do

Definition

The epigastric region (also called epigastrium or epigastrium) is not a separate organ, but a zone located between the umbilical part and the xiphoid process of the sternum. On the right and left, the epigastric zone is limited by the so-called midclavicular lines.

The epigastrium corresponds to the projection of the stomach, which goes to the abdominal wall, located in the front of the human body.

If pain occurs in this area, the doctor may suspect damage to the stomach, pancreas, liver, intestines, appendix and other organs. Therefore, discomfort in the epigastric region is a condition that can develop against the background of various disorders.

The epigastric region: features

The epigastric or epigastric region is divided into three segments:

• Left hypochondrium area;
• Right hypochondrium area;
• Epigastric center.

Pain in the epigastric region occurs with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. In order to determine which part of the digestive organ is affected, it is necessary to establish the intensity of pain from the midline of the body. Dull or sharp pain, as well as aching and bursting, may indicate gastritis or a stomach ulcer. In these cases, the patient feels discomfort in the sternum along the esophagus.

As a rule, pain is not associated with physical activity. However, discomfort can also arise due to a violation of the diet. Usually, the pancreas begins to bother lovers of spicy and sour foods, strong coffee and other products. During the period of greatest exacerbation, vomiting is observed. After it, the sensation of pain usually disappears. To prevent such attacks from bothering you, you should strictly follow the diet prescribed by your doctor. To relieve such symptoms, it is recommended to apply a warm heating pad to the epigastric region, drink weak tea or hot water.

Structure

The epigastric region is a zone in which several organs are located. To describe the structure of this area in simple words, we can conditionally divide the abdominal region into 3 horizontal zones: hypogastric, epigastric and mesogastric.

Epigastric region

The central zone (epigastrium) can be easily determined by visually drawing a triangle on a person’s stomach. The top is located between the ribs, and the bottom of the triangle will pass along the navel line. It is this zone that is considered the epigastric region.

The epigastric region includes the stomach, duodenum, pancreas, part of the liver and gall bladder. In addition, the epigastric zone is the accumulation of the largest number of nerve endings.

This is the solar plexus, which is located closer to the top of the triangle covering the epigastric region. Due to the fact that there are a large number of organs in this part of the peritoneum, the causes of abdominal pain can also be very different.

Treatment

After a reliable objective determination of what causes the epigastric pain, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment. It may include conservative therapy (the use of drugs from various pharmacological groups) or surgical intervention. The first surgical department of the hospital performs surgical interventions with the aim of radical treatment of the causes of discomfort in the epigastric region. The most often performed is excision of an ulcerative defect of the stomach or duodenum, removal of dead tissue in acute pancreatitis. To reduce the morbidity of the operation, laparoscopy is used.

Painful sensations require contacting a specialist doctor, since their independent treatment can cause complications, the most dangerous of which are intense bleeding from the ulcer and death of pancreatic tissue.

Types of diseases

One way or another, most of the internal organs are connected to the epigastric region.

Therefore, when pain occurs, various pathologies can be suspected:

• Stomach diseases. In this case, the person complains of severe pain in the peritoneum. Additionally, the patient may suffer from vomiting and nausea.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system. Pain sensations are concentrated in the solar plexus area. The pain may radiate to the right shoulder and reach the jaw.
• Acute form of pancreatitis. The pain resembles colic. A feeling of discomfort may appear in the left shoulder area. The person also experiences pain on the left side of the back.
• Diseases of the intestine (large or small). The pain is localized in the upper abdominal cavity. Patients complain of attacks of nausea and vomiting. Colic may occur. Similar symptoms are most often observed with duodenal ulcers.
• Gallbladder pathologies. The pain syndrome does not allow the patient to even sleep.
• Inflammation of the appendix. The pain is localized in the umbilical region. Gradually, the pain syndrome spreads to the entire abdominal cavity and begins to intensify. The stomach hurts especially badly when walking and when lying in a horizontal position on the right side.

• Kidney diseases. Characterized by sharp pain in the central part of the abdomen. Gradually the pain shifts to the lumbar and groin area. Patients may complain of problems urinating. Bloody impurities may be observed in the urine, and a kidney stone may pass out. Renal colic may be suspected. The pathology is characterized by sharp pain under the right rib.
• Lung diseases. The pain syndrome intensifies during breathing. There is a possibility that the patient has pneumonia. In this case, in addition to pain in the epigastric region, body temperature also rises and heart rate increases. Patients experience uneven shallow breathing. There may also be problems with the diaphragm. In this case, patients experience difficulty breathing when taking a deep breath. Similar symptoms are typical for diaphragmatic hernia.
• Liver diseases. In this case, the person suffers from sharp pain of a paroxysmal nature, which is localized under the right rib.

Treatment of stomach pain

To treat stomach pain, in most cases, taking medications is sufficient. Regardless of the diagnosis, the patient will have to follow a gentle diet. Eating is recommended every few hours in small portions. It is necessary to exclude all foods that can irritate the mucous membrane of the organ: fatty and sweet foods, alcohol and carbonated drinks, baked goods and sweets, sauces and spices.

Drug treatment may include several stages:

• antispasmodics and painkillers;
• sorbents;
• drugs to correct the acidity of gastric juice;
• antibiotics and others.

Surgical intervention is indicated for benign neoplasms that do not grow deep into the wall of the organ. Surgery may also be prescribed for gastric ulcers with the risk of perforation of its walls. Some structural anomalies of the organ also require surgical treatment if they interfere with the normal functioning of the digestive tract.

The Clinical Brain Institute specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of stomach pain. The clinic has the opportunity to undergo a full examination, consult with specialists of a wide and narrow profile, and receive an appointment for treatment. Therapy is carried out under the supervision of doctors until complete recovery.

Symptoms

The epigastric region is a zone of the human body where organs are located, the pathologies of which lead to discomfort in the abdominal region. In addition to pain, patients also complain of quite specific symptoms. For example, a person feels full too quickly even before the stomach is full. It doesn’t matter at all what kind of food a person eats.

If, in addition to pain and a feeling of satiety, signs of bloating appear, then the person may experience attacks of nausea and vomiting. It is worth paying attention to the appearance of a burning sensation and increased body temperature.

However, the most common symptom is pain directly in the pit of the stomach. Considering that in this zone there are a large number of organs, the diseases of which can be extremely dangerous, then if any alarming symptoms appear, it is worth visiting a doctor.

It is also worth paying attention to the nature of the pain, as this can tell you what pathology the person is suffering from.

It is also worth considering other features of diseases of the epigstral region.

It is important to consider at what time the pain syndrome appears and under what conditions.

For example, if the pain:

• If they last no more than 5 minutes and go away on their own, this indicates movement of the stomach muscles, or rather, they begin to tense very much.
• They last for more than 10 minutes, and there is no relationship with whether the person has eaten or not. Similar symptoms are observed in situations of panic or stress. It is not recommended to eat a lot of food in this situation. It is better to drink mint or other soothing tea.

• They appear immediately after eating and some time after food enters the esophagus. These symptoms are characterized by a decrease in sugar levels. Some people in this situation think that they are feeling hungry, but in fact the person needs to drink water.
• They are regular in nature, and discomfort mainly appears during the daytime, which can also suggest stress due to sleep disturbances. At the same time, patients complain that they cannot fully restore strength after work.
• Appear after eating fatty, hot, spicy foods. A similar reaction is observed when there are problems with the pancreas. A person suffers from heartburn and belching.
• Occurs 6-7 hours after eating. In this case, the pain syndrome gradually increases. Similar symptoms are typical for peptic ulcers and gastritis. It is necessary to conduct an examination of the stomach as soon as possible.

The epigastric region includes a variety of organs, so it is simply impossible to independently determine this or that pathology. This means that it is not enough to collect an anamnesis; you need to perform a set of tests and conduct the necessary research. Otherwise, there is a risk of serious exacerbation.

Sucks in the pit of the stomach

When faced with danger, acute sensations, fear or getting into a nervous situation, a person may feel discomfort in the epigastric region, which cannot be called painful. They say about it like this: “It sucks in the pit of your stomach.” The fact is that when the nervous system is excited, the motor activity of the stomach also increases. The second situation in which you can experience this sensation is hunger or active secretion of gastric secretions. What is the sucking feeling in the epigastric region connected with: nerves or the work of the stomach? Let's clarify this issue.

You can start sucking in the pit of your stomach a couple of hours after a meal. This feeling is encountered more often by individuals with a choleric character or simply by impressionable people with an active, agile psyche. There is even an official name for the desired sensation: the motor migratory complex.

MMC is the contractile activity of the stomach, which is repeated cyclically in the interdigestive time period. Typically, the motor migratory complex occurs during a period when the digestive tract is at rest. As soon as a person has eaten, the MMC is interrupted, as the activity of the organ changes. Why does the body need MMC? In the process, food debris, mucus, bacteria, and gastric secretions migrate through the digestive tract.

The contractile motor cycle lasts from one and a half to two hours, most of this time occurs in the resting phase (first phase). Muscle contractions (second phase) occur later, increase gradually, reaching their greatest intensity in the third phase. It lasts no more than five to six minutes and is a maximum outbreak of gastrointestinal motility activity, which doctors call the motor migratory complex. This is what people perceive as sucking in the pit of the stomach.

When the third phase ends, a short passage begins when motor activity decreases. A decrease in motility is also associated with diet - the more hungry a person is, the lower the contractile activity of the gastrointestinal tract. So, after a day of fasting, activity drops by 70 percent.

The sucking sensation in the epigastric region should not be confused with hunger pain in the stomach. This is a slight feeling of emptiness, not pain. Hunger pains are the result of prolonged fasting, more than three to four days. Sucking in the epigastrium begins much earlier - from several hours to a day, depending on the speed of metabolism in the human body.

Most often, the stomach is in good shape in young, active, healthy people. Also, gastric tone and the feeling of “sucking in the pit of the stomach” are familiar to those who have low blood sugar. If there is a sucking sensation in the pit of the stomach at night, then we may be talking about a hormonal imbalance. Thus, discomfort in the epigastric region is often caused by a lack of cortisol, leptin, ghrelin or neuropeptides.

Why does it suck in the pit of the stomach?

Table 2. Why does it suck “in the pit of the stomach”?

Causes of diseases

If we talk about the reasons that can provoke pain in the epigastric region, then it all depends on the specific organ. For example, if the cause of pain is lung disease, then pain in the epigastric region is explained by the fact that the epigastric zone passes directly under the lungs. Therefore, discomfort may appear with bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia.

Only a doctor can help you find out exactly why discomfort and pain appeared in the epigastric region. First of all, it is necessary to visit a local therapist, who will refer the patient to the necessary specialists. Most often, people with pain in the abdominal area are referred to see a gastroenterologist. Additionally, consultation with a surgeon and cardiologist may be required.

Diagnostics

The epigastric region is a zone of the human body, pain syndromes in which may indicate pathologies of a very different nature. First of all, the therapist collects anamnesis.

It is imperative to inform your doctor about all chronic diseases in your relatives. For example, if there are people in the family with malignant tumors, then first of all the doctor will check the patient for the presence of tumors.

After this, the doctor conducts a finger examination. He palpates and alternately presses on different areas of the patient’s abdominal region. If the patient indicates pain in any place, the specialist may suggest one or another disease.

For example, if you press on the xiphoid process and the patient experiences pain, this most likely indicates cholecystitis. If the cause of pain is appendicitis, then the person experiences the greatest pain when pressing on the right iliac region.

Next, you need to donate blood and urine for tests, and conduct kidney tests. Such diagnostic measures will help to understand whether the patient is suffering from inflammatory processes.

It is also important to perform additional diagnostic measures:

• Determine the amount of pancreatic enzymes in the blood. Thanks to this study, pancreatitis can be ruled out.
• Ultrasound of the pancreas. Ultrasound examination allows you to determine exactly where the inflammation is localized.

• Ultrasound of the gallbladder. It is performed to identify stones that are necessary for the subsequent diagnosis of calculous cholecystitis. Also, an ultrasound examination will detect thickening of the walls, which is characteristic of the acalculous form of cholecystitis.
• Ultrasound of the liver. This test allows you to determine whether the organ is enlarged. Ultrasound examination can also detect cysts, helminthic infestations, inflammatory processes, bile stagnation and other pathological processes.
• Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Performed to detect possible tumors.
• X-ray of the abdominal cavity. The study is performed to determine whether there is an accumulation of free gas under the diaphragm dome. If it is present, then a perforated ulcer is diagnosed.
• FDGS. Used to diagnose gastritis, ulcers, tumors.

Additional research worth highlighting:

• ESR. This is a test that allows you to determine the rate and reaction of erythrocyte sedimentation. This is an inexpensive diagnostic procedure, thanks to which the presence and nature of inflammation is clarified.
• Endoscopy. Allows you to assess the condition of the stomach and esophagus. This testing also makes it possible to perform a biopsy. It allows you to confirm or deny the presence of a peptic ulcer or tumor.
• MRI and CT. Allows you to accurately determine the source of pain. Computer research is considered one of the most effective.
• ECG. This study is performed if pain in the epigastric region is not caused by gastrointestinal diseases. Similar testing is also used in diagnosing heart attacks. This study is mandatory only for patients over 45 years of age. For younger patients, ECG is recommended as a preventive measure.

If we talk about the cost of diagnostics, then the cheapest option is to go to the district clinic, where the tests will be carried out free of charge according to the health insurance policy.

However, some testing will have to wait. For example, there is usually a fairly long queue for computer examinations. If you need to complete all diagnostic tests faster, you can contact a private medical center. However, in this case, the cost of the entire set of studies may exceed 10,000 rubles.

Diagnostic methods

It is possible to understand the cause of stomach pain and determine the correct treatment tactics based on instrumental and laboratory studies. At the initial examination, the localization and nature of pain is determined by palpation, as well as the degree of its irradiation.

Next, a set of studies may be prescribed:

• Ultrasound - determines the condition of the organ wall;
• MRI, CT are more informative methods that are necessary if tumors are suspected;
• clinical and biochemical blood tests;
• urine and stool tests;
• probing of the stomach and duodenum with further examination of the contents (acidity is determined, microscopy and bacterial culture are performed).

Diagnosis begins with simpler methods that allow you to identify the most common stomach diseases. If necessary, additional studies are prescribed. The Clinical Institute of the Brain has all the conditions for conducting a comprehensive diagnosis of stomach pain.

When to see a doctor

It is important to consider that abdominal discomfort can be caused by a variety of circumstances. For example, internal bleeding could occur. Therefore, any alarming symptoms should not be ignored, especially if we are talking about acute, girdling pain.

However, even indigestion can cause unpleasant consequences, so if you feel heaviness and bloating, heartburn, or feel full too quickly while eating, you should definitely visit a doctor.

Indigestion and flatulence can be signs indicating developing gastrointestinal pathologies, infections, and inflammatory processes. Therefore, if you have pain in the epigastric region, you need to visit a gastroenterologist, oncologist, traumatologist and surgeon.

Prevention

To prevent diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other internal organs, you need to support the immune system and monitor your weight.

You should also follow the following recommendations:

• Stick to moderate physical activity. It is equally important to keep your body in good shape. To do this, you don’t need to go to the gym, just do exercises and exercise periodically. It is better to refrain from strength exercises, as they put a lot of stress on the cardiovascular system.
• Periodically undergo general examinations and visit a therapist to assess your health.
• Treat pathologies and colds in a timely manner.
• Do not eat a lot of fried, smoked, spicy foods.
• Spend more time outdoors.

Treatment methods

When symptoms appear in the epigastric region, it is important to make the correct diagnosis. Further treatment will depend on what specific pathology caused the discomfort.

Medications

If we talk about drugs that are aimed directly at relieving a person of pain and other symptoms in the epigastrium, then most often doctors prescribe:

• Mesalazine. The drug allows you to get rid of pain due to gastrointestinal diseases. The product is sold in the form of tablets that must be taken without chewing. The dosage and duration of treatment with the drug are prescribed depending on the specific diagnosis. For example, with ulcerative colitis in the acute stage, adults are usually recommended to take 4 g of the drug per day. The reception must be divided into several stages. For children, the dosage is selected at the rate of 20 mg per 1 kg of weight. The doctor can also develop maintenance therapy. The cost of the drug is about 600 rubles.
• Prednisol. This drug is necessary to stop inflammatory processes occurring in the stomach or outside the intestines. The duration of use and dosage of the product is determined only by a doctor. The fact is that the drug can be administered intravenously or intramuscularly. There are drip and jet methods of administration. The amount of active substance depends on the stage of the pathology. The product costs about 35 rubles.

• Metronidazole. This drug has a destructive effect on microorganisms that infect the human body. The drug is also able to prevent the development of inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract. For adult patients and children over 12 years of age, it is recommended to take 1.5 mg per kg of weight every 6 hours. Patients under 12 years of age should reduce the dosage and take the drug 3 times a day. However, the dosage may differ from the method of administration. For example, with the intravenous method, the initial dose should be about 15 mg per kg of patient weight. Gradually, the dosage and frequency of taking the drug is reduced. Metronidazole costs about 30 rubles.

Traditional methods

The epigastric region is an area in which inflammatory and other processes can develop. Treatment should be tailored to the specific diagnosis.

If the doctor approves of the use of traditional medicine, then there are several remedies that will help relieve pain:

• For gastritis with low acidity, it is recommended to brew watch leaves every day and drink them 4 times a day, a third of a glass.
• To prepare a general tonic, you can make a mixture of 2 parts flaxseeds and chamomile. You also need to add 1 part of licorice root and the same amount of lemon balm. After this, 1 tbsp. l. the resulting mixture must be filled with 1 tbsp. boiling water and heat on the stove for 5 minutes. The resulting product should be left for 2 hours (preferably in a thermos) and drunk 0.5 tbsp. every 3 hours. This remedy will help relieve stomach pain.
• For severe pain or stomach colic, it is recommended to make an infusion of chamomile herb. To prepare it, you need to pour 1 tbsp. l. dry mixture 1 tbsp. boiling water and leave for 20-30 minutes. This medicine should be taken 0.5 tbsp. 4-5 times a day. This infusion will help not only get rid of pain. Chamomile is also an excellent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent. However, if symptoms persist, you should visit a doctor.
• Blueberries have a positive effect. You can also make a medicinal infusion from it. To do this you need to pour 1 tsp. fresh berries 1 tbsp. boiling water and infuse the medicinal composition for 3 hours. After this, add a small amount of sugar or honey to the liquid and drink 50 ml 6 times a day.
• If you experience aching pain in the stomach, it is recommended to prepare a remedy based on motherwort. The juice of this plant should be drunk 1 tsp. on an empty stomach before meals.

Other methods

If pain occurs in the epigastric region, a gentle diet can also help. This is especially necessary if the patient is taking medications. The exact menu is developed by the doctor.

But, there are some general recommendations:

• Eating should be even. You can’t eat a lot at night and fast during the day.

• You need to eat food in small portions. In this case, there should be more meals. The same amount of time should pass between them.
• Don't eat too cold or hot food. The same goes for drinks, and should be consumed warm.
• It is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol or smoke.
• You need to give up fried foods. You should not consume flour products, carbonated drinks, or fast food.

Causes of stomach pain

Pain in the stomach is a sign of inflammatory, ulcerative or degenerative changes in internal organs, as well as irritation of nerve receptors. It can be acute or aching, bother the patient constantly, appear suddenly or at certain hours. In some cases, it is accompanied by nausea, vomiting and other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes the discomfort is associated with eating - the pain intensifies on an empty stomach or after eating.

Stomach pain can be divided into several categories:

• visceral - irritation of nerve receptors on the walls of the abdominal cavity and internal organs occurs;
• parietal - occurs when the peritoneum is irritated;
• inorganic pain (neurogenic, psychogenic and others not associated with damage to the digestive tract).

The causes and treatment of stomach pain are interrelated, so it is important to determine which pathology triggered its development. The difficulty of diagnosis lies in the fact that in some diseases it radiates, that is, it is transmitted along the nerves from distant areas. This is why self-medication at home can be not only ineffective, but also dangerous.

Gastritis

Gastritis is one of the most common causes of stomach pain, inflammation of its mucous membrane. The disease can occur in acute or chronic form. In the second case, it manifests itself only during periods of exacerbation, which may be due to irregular and unhealthy diet, taking certain groups of drugs, stress or other factors.

All gastritis is conventionally divided into microbial and non-microbial. A complete classification of this disease identifies several main types:

• type A - autoimmune, associated with the development of an allergic reaction to one’s own organs and tissues;
• type B - exogenous, occurs when the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is activated;
• type C - can be triggered by chemical irritation of the mucous membranes with drugs (NSAIDs), chemicals or bile;
• inflammation due to an increase or decrease in the concentration of hydrochloric acid;
• special forms of gastritis.

There are two more types of gastritis that require radically different treatment tactics. They can be distinguished by the results of laboratory tests of gastric contents:

• hyperacid - occurs with intense release of hydrochloric acid and increased acidity of gastric juice;
• hypoacid - accompanied by a decrease in the acidity of gastric juice.

Inflammatory processes can also be triggered by abnormalities in the structure of the stomach. Thus, when the pyloric sphincter is weak, the contents of the duodenum are thrown into the stomach, which does not occur normally, and causes pain. It is also necessary to take into account the nature of inflammation. It can be aseptic, purulent, fibrinous, hemorrhagic (with bleeding) or mixed.

Peptic ulcer

The appearance of an ulcer on the mucous membrane of the stomach or duodenum may be associated with a long-term chronic course of gastritis, as well as other diseases. Among other things, it can be triggered by weakness of blood vessels and disruption of blood flow in a certain area. Peptic ulcer disease occurs in a chronic form with periodic relapses. It manifests itself with a number of characteristic symptoms:

• hunger pains - discomfort in the stomach during long breaks between meals;
• night pain;
• nausea and vomiting;
• digestive disorders, including flatulence or diarrhea;
• the appearance of blood impurities in the stool, that is, its coloration in a black tint.

The most dangerous condition is perforation of the ulcer. This condition is accompanied by severe pain in the stomach and deterioration in well-being, including loss of consciousness. If the contents of the stomach or duodenum enter the abdominal cavity, there remains a risk of purulent inflammation of the peritoneum (peritonitis) with all the manifestations of sepsis.

Hungry (night) stomach pain

Hunger pain in the stomach is usually called those that occur 5-6 hours after the last meal. It is during this period of time that the food bolus passes through the stomach and duodenum so that they remain completely empty. This can be easily prevented during the day (including by drinking water), which is why hunger pain is also called night pain. They often occur between 3 and 5 am.

The main cause of hunger pain in the stomach is irritation of the mucous membrane by the organ’s own contents. Here it constantly secretes gastric juice, which digests food into small components. However, it affects its own mucosa in a similar way. If it is initially damaged, it will react to irritation with acute pain.

The causes and treatment of nighttime stomach pain may vary. In most cases, this syndrome is caused by gastritis of various origins. However, it can also be caused by a more dangerous condition - peptic ulcer disease.

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, which is closely related to the functions of the stomach and duodenum. Its main function is the production of pancreatic juice. It is released into the lumen of the small intestine and neutralizes the acidic contents that come from the stomach and contain hydrochloric acid. Pain with pancreatitis is caused by inflammatory processes and dysfunction of the organ - if pancreatic juice is produced in insufficient quantities, the mucous membranes of the digestive tract are irritated by acids.

Among the causes of pancreatitis are:

• disruption of the outflow of pancreatic juice and its accumulation in the organ cavity;
• non-compliance with the diet, consumption of large amounts of animal fats, alcohol and other unhealthy foods;
• hormonal factors;
• gastritis, hepatitis, cholecystitis.

The pain with pancreatitis is acute and spreads to the upper abdomen. It can be encircling in nature and located in the area of ​​the left and right hypochondrium. Discomfort increases after eating or prolonged fasting.

Cholecystitis

Inflammation of the gallbladder can also be one of the causes of pain in the stomach. This organ is a hollow sac in which bile accumulates. Then it enters the bile ducts into the lumen of the small intestine and participates in the digestion (emulsification) of fats. Violation of this process leads to pathologies of the digestive system, gastritis and duodenitis.

All cholecystitis can be divided into two groups:

• calculous - associated with the formation of stones in the cavity of the gallbladder, irritation of its walls and blockage of the bile ducts with stones;
• non-calculous - develops due to poor diet, injuries, or infection activity.

The work of the gallbladder, unlike the pancreas, is directly related to the digestive processes. Its sphincter relaxes when food enters the stomach so that bile can flow freely into the intestines. If a long period of time passes between meals, the liquid fills the bladder and causes its walls to stretch.

In digestive pathology, the composition of the food consumed is important. An abundance of animal fats, which contain excess cholesterol, provokes the formation of stones. They can be of different shapes and sizes, have smooth or sharp edges. Stones can clog the bile ducts and injure the mucous membrane of the biliary system. The pain with cholecystitis is acute, spreading to the area of ​​the right hypochondrium, stomach and intestines. It is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and increased gas formation.

Infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

One of the main causes of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is the activity of pathogenic and opportunistic microflora. The main gastric infection is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can remain in its cavity for a long time and cause irritation of its mucous membrane. It is part of the gastric microflora of most of the population, but its activation occurs only with a confluence of favorable factors. These include mutations and increased virulence of individual strains, decreased body resistance and irritation of the gastric mucosa with food or drugs.

The bacterium is a trigger for the development of a number of pathologies:

• gastritis;
• stomach ulcer;
• adenocarcinomas and lymphomas of the stomach.

The pain is localized in the epigastrium and mesogastrium and can be sharp, cutting or aching. The clinical picture is complemented by characteristic symptoms of diseases of the digestive tract: decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea. Infectious inflammation can also be triggered by other pathogens, including staphylococci or streptococci.

Neoplasms

Gastric tumors are a group of neoplasms that differ in origin, size and degree of danger to the patient. All of them can be divided into two groups: benign and malignant. The former are limited in size, do not grow into organ tissue and do not affect large vessels, and do not form metastases. The danger of benign tumors is that during the process of their growth they can become malignant, that is, become malignant.

Benign tumors include:

• polyps - rounded formations on a stalk that are easily removed surgically;
• leiomyomas - originate from the muscular layer of the organ wall;
• lipomas - from the submucosal layer;
• angiomas - vascular tumors;
• Neuromas - develop from nervous tissue.

Among the malignant neoplasms of the stomach are:

• adenocarcinomas - stomach cancer that originates from the epithelium;
• carcinoid - has a neuroendocrine origin, can secrete hormones;
• leiomyblastomas - develop from cells of epithelial and muscle tissue;
• malignant lymphomas and others.

All neoplasms are manifested by constant pain in the stomach area. There may be a decrease in appetite and a quick feeling of filling the stomach with food while eating. The patient's general condition worsens, accompanied by headaches and general intoxication. Small benign tumors may not appear for a long time and are only discovered then. when they reach significant sizes.

Other reasons

Painful sensations in the stomach can occur with more rare conditions, which must be taken into account during diagnosis. These include pathologies not only of the gastrointestinal tract, but also of other organs. So, pain can have the following causes:

• diaphragm spasm - discomfort increases with certain body positions;
• colitis (inflammation of the large intestine) - also manifests itself in the upper abdomen;
• appendicitis - pain can occur not only on the right, but also in any part of the abdominal cavity;
• coronary heart disease - pain radiates to the stomach;
• pathologies of blood vessels (thrombosis of intestinal vessels, dissection of the abdominal aorta and others).

All these pathologies are manifested by chronic or acute pain in the stomach, which can spread to other areas. So, it can be encircling, that is, also covering the area of ​​the left and right hypochondrium, or one-sided. Painful sensations that primarily arise in the stomach area and then spread to the back are often interrelated.

Possible complications

Any of the pathologies described in the article is dangerous due to its advanced stage. Therefore, it is important to carry out treatment in a timely manner. For example, if the patient’s condition progresses to an epigastric hernia, then tissue strangulation may occur.

Organs are at risk of ischemia and subsequent necrosis. The patient may develop peritonitis or even septic shock. These conditions are extremely dangerous and can be fatal.

Based on this, the epigastric region requires increased attention. If pain of a different nature occurs in this area, it is worth conducting a comprehensive examination. In case of timely detection of a particular pathology, the chance of restoring the normal functioning of the patient’s body increases.