Pain in middle of stomach above belly button – Abdominal pain above the navel, i.e. in the area of the middle epigastrium, is a common symptom reported by patients. The most common causes of pain in the navel area are gastrointestinal diseases – reflux, stomach ulcers, indigestion. It sometimes happens that acute epigastric pain may indicate a cancerous disease. In order to determine the cause of pain, it is necessary to extend the diagnosis of, inter alia, o abdominal ultrasound and gastroscopy.
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
Pain over the navel – what does such abdominal pain mean?
Abdominal pain above the navelis defined asupper abdominal pain. Directly above the navel, there are the middle epigastrium, while on its sides there are two subcostal areas – right and left. The area around the navel is classified as the mesogastrium. This division is extremely important for the exact location of symptoms, which is an important clue in the diagnostic process.
Epigastric pain most often indicates problems with the digestive system organs, such as the stomach, intestines, liver and bile ducts, although they also occur in the courseof kidneyand cardiovascular diseases.
The most commoncauses of abdominal pain above the navelinclude:
- gastroesophageal reflux disease and esophageal disease
- gastroenteritis and gastric ulcer,
- acute hepatitis, pancreatitis (acute and chronic),
- intestinal diseases,
- heart attack(the so-called infarction mask – the pain is non-specific and occurs in places other than behind the sternum),
- diseases of the bile ducts – urolithiasis and cholecystitis.
Abdominal pain after eating and intestinal pain
The term dyspepsia covers a set of symptoms including pain orburning sensation over the navel(epigastric region), an early feeling of fullness that occurs after eating a small amount of food (it is disproportionate to it and the patient is unable to finish the meal) and unpleasant a feeling of food in the stomach known as the after-meal feeling of fullness.
Often there is pain in the gut and unpleasant abdominal cramps.Heartburn, i.e. burning in the retrosternal region, should be distinguished from the concept of dyspepsia – it is a separate symptom, although it often coexists with it.
- Organic indigestion – occurs as a result of a specific disease, very oftengastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric and duodenal ulcer disease or drug-induced damage to the esophagus, stomach or duodenum caused by e.g. antibiotics such as doxycycline and erythromycin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and glucocorticosteroids.
- Functional dyspepsia – occurs when no abnormalities are found in the tests performed, and the symptoms last for at least 3 months, with the onset of at least 6 months before. In the case offunctional dyspepsia,it is also important that the symptoms do not improve after a bowel movement, and the patient does not report changes in the appearance of the stools and in the rhythm of bowel movements. Such symptoms could suggest irritable bowel syndrome.
- Undiagnosed dyspepsia – occurs in patients recently or has not been previously diagnosed due to symptoms of dyspepsia.
Abdominal pain – what could be the cause of epigastric pain?
Apart from indigestion, the most commoncause of abdominal pain above the navelisgastroesophageal reflux diseaseand gastric ulcer. Reflux is the return of acid reflux into your esophagus. This causes chronic inflammation of the esophageal mucosa, similar to the pain that occurs above the belly button, in the epigastrium.
Stomach ulcers are an equally common cause of pain. They cause epigastric burning and burning that disappears after eating.
Another very common cause of these ailments is gastritis, which causespain in the upper abdomen. Pain can be dull, diffuse, burning, sharp. It worsens after consuming heavy meals or alcohol.Gastritisoccurs frequently in patients diagnosed withHelicobacter pylori infection.
When is abdominal pain above the navel so serious?
Neoplastic diseases are a very serious cause of epigastric pain.The most common symptoms in this localization are related togastric cancer– in the early stages it is associated with discomfort in the navel area (middle epigastrium) and a feeling of rapid fullness and satiety after eating. At a more advanced stage, it is also accompanied by symptoms such as weight loss, vomiting,pain upon swallowing. Sometimes you can feel the presence of a lump in the upper abdomen.
Abdominal painmay indicate colorectal cancer – symptoms may differ depending on the location of the tumor. When the lesion is located in the right half of the colon,right-sided abdominal pain develops,and increasing anemia due to occult bleeding occurs.
However, in the case of the affected left half of the colon and rectum, bleeding is overt, accompanied by a change in the rhythm of bowel movements. In the case of a rectal tumor, the tumor can be detected byperrectal examination(through the anus).
A sharp pain in the abdomen above the navelcan be a symptom of pancreatic cancer. Tobacco smokers and patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis are most at risk of developing the disease. Early symptoms are non-specific and very common in the course of other diseases of the digestive system. When the disease is advanced, jaundice is very common, caused by compression of the common bile duct by a neoplastic lesion, accompanied by itching.
Sudden onset of diabetes in people without predisposition (i.e. without the accompanying obesity, diabetes in the family), especially after the age of 50, should also be worrying. A characteristic symptom is also travelingthrombophlebitis, or Trousseau’s syndrome
Abdominal pain – what tests should I do?
The first and very important element in the diagnosisof abdominal pain above the navelis the history. The patient should describe his symptoms as accurately as possible, including the nature, intensity and factors that increase pain and bring relief.
The accompanying symptoms are also important, including fever, weight loss, the appearance ofblood in the stool, and disturbed bowel movements (diarrhea, constipation).
It may be necessary to perform laboratory tests of blood, urine and stool, including the determination of inflammatory indicators, parameters of the liver, pancreas and kidneys, blood counts, and tests for occult blood in the stool. The basicexamination for abdominal painremains anultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
When suspected of a neoplastic disease of the digestive system, neoplastic markers are also determined:
- CEA (carcino-fetal antigen) – its increased values are found in colorectal and rectal cancer, but also in breast and stomach cancers or in inflammatory bowel diseases;
- CA 19-9– the level above the norm occurs in cancer of the pancreas, biliary tract cancer, but also in cirrhosis and pancreatitis
A non-invasive and painless examination in the caseof abdominal pain around the naveland above the navel is the ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, which is especially helpful in problems related to the liver, kidneys or pancreas.
When a doctor suspects that thecause of pain in the navel areais a diseased stomach, endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract may be necessary, while in the diagnosis of reflux disease, 24-houroesophageal pH-measurementis very often performed .
Sometimes (especially in the case of pancreatic diseases and neoplasms), computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the abdominal cavity is necessary.