Pain in lower left side abdomen (men and women): What organ is on the lower left side of your abdomen?

The pain in lower left side abdomen can hurt for a number of reasons. They can be mundane and easy to eliminate by the patient himself, such as changing the diet and lifestyle. However, pain can also be associated with serious medical conditions. It can be a symptom of diseases of organs located on the left side of the abdomen, including the left kidney, pancreas, and spleen. Ailments may also indicate problems with the left ovary in women. Important for the diagnosis is not only the location of abdominal pain and its severity, but also the appearance of accompanying symptoms. What is the pain in the left side of the abdomen , and when is it a condition that requires urgent medical attention?

What can hurt on the left side of the abdomen?

Abdominal pain is a common ailment both among the elderly and children. They can appear, among other things, in connection with indigestion or excessive gases. They can also be of neuralgia. However, the cause may be more serious—pain may indicate ongoing inflammatory processes, dangerous diseases, or neoplasms. In diagnostics, the location of pain and the accompanying additional symptoms are important. Left-sided abdominal pain is often associated with, for example, digestive system disorders, including diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, heartburn, and vomiting. It may also be accompanied by fever, radiation to other parts of the body (e.g. to the leg or the lower back), and may also be associated with many other symptoms, such as yellowing of the skin.

The nature of the patient’s pain in the left side of the waist is importantas well as its severity. Sometimes pain can be described, for example, as throbbing, prickly, dull, etc. – all of this may be important in the case of diagnostics. Ultimately, identifying the cause of left-sided abdominal pain requires medical attention, a detailed medical history, physical examination, and extended diagnostics. When making a diagnosis, the doctor will also take into account the circumstances of the occurrence of pain, as well as factors that bring relief. The basic tests ordered in this case include, among others, abdominal ultrasound, X-ray and ECG tests. You may also need blood or urine tests, and even gastroscopy or colonoscopy. Occasionally, your doctor may ask you to test for occult blood in your stools.

Possible causes of abdominal pain on the left side:

There are many possible causes of pain on the left side of the abdomen, including very serious ones, so the patient should not ignore them, especially if they intensify or last for a long time.

• Very often the causes of pain in the abdominal area are flatulence and digestive problems (indigestion).
• When left-sided abdominal pain is located in the upper abdomen, stomach or duodenal ulcers are the most common cause of the problem.
• Persistent left-sided abdominal pain may also cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal microflora.
• Pain in the left side of the abdomen may indicate bowel disease, among other things. Defecation disorders (diarrhea, constipation) or flatulence often appear here. Pain in the lower left side of the abdomen may indicate irritable bowel syndrome, among other things. Pain on the left side can also be a symptom of colonic diverticula or ulcerative colitis, or even Crohn’s disease or colon obstruction. Blood diarrhea in particular should be alarming.
• Pain in the left side of the lower abdomen sometimes indicates adnexitis in women or varicocele in men.
• Pain in the left side of the abdomen that radiates to the back can be related to pancreatic disease, and pain in the left side of the abdomen under the ribs can be related to spleen disease, especially when it is enlarged and puts pressure on other organs.
• When there is throbbing pain in the left side of the abdomen , an aortic aneurysm may also be suspected.
• Kidney stones, renal colic or pyelonephritis may also be a problem .
• In some cases, the ailment may indicate an ongoing neoplastic process.
• Severe pain in the left upper abdomen may also be one of the symptoms of a myocardial infarction.

What’s on the left side of the stomach?

When pain symptoms located on the left side of the abdomen appear, patients look for information about the organs on the left side of a person . The first association is of course the heart, but it is usually other organs that are responsible for the pain on the left side of the abdomen . What is there? When it comes to the organs on the left side of the abdomen , or located in its middle-left part, we can distinguish, among others, the stomach and duodenum, as well as the pancreas and spleen. When listing what is on the left side of the abdomen, one cannot forget about parts of the intestines and parts of the urinary system, including the left kidney and ureter. What’s on the lower abdomen on the left side? There is also the left ovary and fallopian tube, which are often responsible for lower abdominal pain in women.

The type of pain in the left side of the abdomen and the possible cause

The very nature of pain can tell a lot about its origin. For example:

• Dull pain is sometimes characteristic of diverticula of the large intestine.
• Burning pain may indicate inflammation of the esophagus.
• Cramping pain may indicate, inter alia, uterine contractions during menstruation or irritable bowel syndrome.
• Sometimes throbbing pain is associated with an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Stabbing pain may indicate gynecological problems, including adnexitis. An ovarian cyst or ovarian torsion is also possible, and the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy should also be considered.
• Crushing pain often occurs with peptic ulcer disease.
• Colic pain is a common symptom of gastrointestinal obstruction or gallstone disease, as well as diseases of the urinary system, including kidney stones.
• Burning pain is often associated with an inguinal hernia.

Stabbing pain in the abdomen on the left side

The symptom of stinging in the left lower abdomen should definitely not be taken lightly, as it is usually associated with serious ailments that require immediate treatment. It should also be noted that the persistent stabbing abdominal pain in the patient is a condition with a wide range of causes, so it is difficult to locate the source of the problem on your own and the safest way to consult a specialist on this matter.

A sharp stabbing on the left side of the abdomen may indicate a major heart attack, among other things. Often, such symptoms are also characteristic of a hernia. Stabbing pain in the abdomen on the left side may also be associated with a femoral hernia or an inguinal hernia, for which pain in the left lower abdomen radiating to the groin is characteristic . Patients who are struggling with diabetes should also be especially careful. In their case, the appearance of pain may indicate acidosis, which is a very dangerous condition.

Often stabbing abdominal pain can also affect babies. In this case, it may be associated with disturbances in intestinal motility and digestive enzyme secretion, as well as with immaturity of the bacterial flora. A stabbing in the left side under the ribs may also be related to the spleen. When this important organ enlarges, other internal organs are compressed, and this can again cause pain. Many factors can lead to an enlargement of the spleen, including various types of infections. The condition when the spleen ruptures is particularly dangerous – it requires surgical intervention and removal of the organ.

Abdominal pain on the left lower side in men

When there is pain in the lower abdomen on the left side of a man, ailments related to the male reproductive system cannot be ruled out, and in this case there may be several. A slight pain in the lower left abdomen in men , which occurs during urination or after intercourse, may indicate, for example, inflammation of the prostate gland. Similar pain on the left side of the lower abdomen can also trigger an enlarged prostate and even a more serious stage of prostate cancer. Abdominal pain on the lower left side in men may also indicate varicocele.

What can hurt on the left side of the abdomen in women?

Pain in the lower abdomen on the left side may occur not only in men . The ailment may also appear in women, and then it may even indicate inflammation of the appendages. Rupture of an ovarian cyst and even ovarian torsion can also be a problem. Sometimes endometriosis is also a source of ailments, moreover, pain in women of childbearing age may also be the result of an ectopic pregnancy. And what can hurt in the left side of the belly in pregnancy? This ailment may arise from pressure on the uterus and slow digestion, but contractions on the left side of the abdomen may also indicate premature labor.

Pain in the left side of the abdomen, radiating to the leg or back

When a patient develops left-sided abdominal pain that spreads to his back, pancreatitis may be suspected, among other things. The pain in this case is strong and persistent, and in addition, it usually does not pass quickly – for example, it is not uncommon for patients to experience pain continuously for several days, which can be particularly troublesome. When pancreatitis is present, the pain in the left abdomen is usually less severe when sitting and bending over. Pain in the left side of the abdomen under the ribs however, it worsens when sneezing or coughing. Nausea and vomiting also occur frequently with pancreatitis. However, not only pancreatic pain but also abdominal aortic aneurysm can radiate to the back. This type of pain is throbbing and requires urgent medical attention as the aneurysm may rupture, which is immediately life-threatening.

Pain in the left abdomen radiating to the leg is also possible . This is sometimes a characteristic symptom of, among others, urolithiasis, which is the result of the accumulation of deposits in the urinary tract. The build-up of debris results in urinary obstruction, which again prevents urine from flowing out of the kidneys. There is acute pain that tends to radiate to the rest of the urinary tract, including the bladder and urethra, and even to the outer thigh.

Persistent or severe left abdominal pain – what to do?

In many cases, abdominal pain is not a cause for concern and some dietary or lifestyle changes are enough to overcome the problem. However, pain on the left side of the abdomen may prove to be dangerous to the patient’s health, especially if it is acute, prolonged or recurrent.

When the abdominal pain is mild and disappears relatively quickly with home remedies, there is usually nothing to worry too much. However, if the symptoms reoccur, persist for a long time, or there is a very severe abdominal pain on the left side , it is an indication for urgent contact with a doctor and extended diagnostics. An alarm signal for the patient should be an enlarged abdomen on the left side, as well as severe additional symptoms, including high fever, vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding and jaundice. An indication for a doctor’s appointment may also be painful and frequent urination, as well as abdominal tenderness manifested by pain under pressure. The doctor may then recommend appropriate tests, such as blood count, as well as ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.

In many cases, it may be necessary to visit the gastroenterologist, as persistent abdominal pain may indicate that the patient is seriously ill. Pharmaceutical treatment may be necessary if, for example, Helicobacter pylori infection has occurred. For this, patients are prescribed antibiotics, as well as protective drugs. If the problem is serious, you may even need surgery.