Gastralgia - what is it?

Gastralgia - what is it? Not all patients know the answer to this question. Although most of them have repeatedly experienced this phenomenon on themselves.

general information

Gastralgia - what is this disease? This medical term denotes pain in the pelvis and abdomen.

Gastralgia in Latin sounds like gastralgia . This word consists of two syllables, which are literally translated as "stomach" ( gaster ) and "pain" ( algos ).

Such an unpleasant feeling can be associated with possible or actual damage to internal tissues.

Causes of pain

Gastralgia - what is this pain in the abdomen? Such feelings often arise due to the excitation of receptors of damaged tissues. In medical practice, it is customary to single out 2 groups of receptors:

• Painful somatic mechanoreceptors, or so-called nociceptors. Specialists claim that they have a high threshold of sensitivity. Stimulation of such recipes causes quite unpleasant sensations in the abdomen.
• Polimodal visceral receptors. With their weak irritation, they transmit information about the state of the organs. And only with strong such receptors cause appreciable discomfort.

Thus, there are 3 types of abdominal pain: somatic, visceral and reflected.

Somatic pain

How is this gastralgia manifested? Symptoms of somatic pain are very intense. In this case, the patient can clearly define its location.

As is known, practically all parietal peritoneum, and also a mesentery are supplied with somatic receptors. In addition, they are present in the ureters and bile ducts.

Visceral pain

Such unpleasant sensations arise in the most affected organ. Usually they are painful and accompanied by increased sweating.

How else is visceral gastralgia manifested? Dyspepsia in the form of nausea and vomiting - these are the characteristic signs of this condition. Also, the patient can suddenly paleness skin.

This kind of pain can be localized in epigastrium, over the pubic symphysis and in the peripodal region.

Reflected pain

Such discomfort is pronounced. Usually it is observed with intense irritation of the affected organ. Reflex pain can occur with diseases of the meninges, the brain and many internal organs.

Why does pain appear?

Now you know what the term "gastralgia" stands for. What is it, we described above.

Specialists distinguish 2 main reasons for which there are pains in the abdomen:

• Swelling of the abdominal cavity;
• Irritability of the peritoneum.

The first (for example, swelling of the bile ducts, small and large intestines, ureters, bladder, uterus, fallopian tubes) often leads to spasmodic and intermittent pain. It is localized blurry and is usually noted by patients on the midline of the abdomen.

Distension of the digestive tract (anterior part) is observed in the epigastric region.

As for the irritation of the peritoneal peritoneum, it usually occurs as a result of its stretching or movement, which subsequently leads to acute pain.

The course of pain

Pain in the abdomen is:

• Acute;
• Chronic;
• Recurrent.

The first is due to acute surgical pathology, an infectious disease or trauma. As a rule, its time frame is limited to three months. Longer unpleasant sensations are called chronic.

In the event that the pain is repeated at least three times within three months, then it is referred to as a recurring one. In most cases, it is caused by chronic diseases of the digestive tract, as well as their functional disorders.

Gastralgia: what diseases are associated with?

The group of diseases that manifest acute pain in the abdomen include the following:

• Inflammatory diseases of the abdominal cavity acute (for example, appendicitis, Meckel diverticulitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, peritonitis);
• Violations of the patency of the digestive tract (for example, infringement of the hernia, intestinal obstruction);
• Perforation of hollow organs, including diverticula, tumors and ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Hemorrhages in the abdominal cavity and lumen of the hollow organs (for example, with rupture of the spleen, abdominal aorta, liver, ovary);
• Violation of blood circulation in the abdominal cavity.

With regard to recurrent pain in the abdomen, they can manifest themselves:

• With intestinal colic;
• Incomplete intestinal obstruction ;
• Stenosis of the celiac trunk ;
• Intestinal infection;
• The syndrome of Payra;
• Food allergies;
• Abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract (hernias, cysts, stenoses and others);
• Kidney diseases;
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease ;
• Parasitic disease;
• Gynecological pathology;
• SRK.

Gastralgia: treatment

Success in the treatment of all listed diseases, which are manifested by unpleasant sensations in the abdomen, depends entirely on the correctness, as well as the timeliness of the diagnosis.

With epigastric pain, you should immediately turn to a narrow specialist - the gastroenterologist. After a personal examination, the doctor must send the patient for the delivery of general laboratory tests of urine and blood. Also for the statement of the correct diagnosis the patient should undergo ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and fibrogastroduodenoscopy.

Only a complete examination of the patient will allow the doctor to diagnose the existing disease. Most often, conservative methods are used to treat gastralgia. The patient is prescribed a number of drugs that contribute not only to the treatment of the disease, but also instantly eliminate all unpleasant sensations in the abdomen.