Stomach hurts over the navel

Unpleasant sensations in the abdomen are one of the most common complaints with which patients come to medical institutions. To identify the cause of such discomfort, it is necessary to determine not only its intensity and nature, but also its localization. What can the pain above the navel speak about and how to get rid of the problem?

What is located above a person's navel?

For the convenience of diagnosing pain in the abdominal region, doctors divide it into several segments, and the part that is located above the navel is called umbilical, and a little higher (closer to the sternum) is epigastric, or epigastric region. In most cases (about 80%), discomfort in this part of the abdominal cavity speaks of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, less often of dysfunction of the bile and urinary and reproductive systems.

Some of the reasons that cause pain above the navel, but do not require medical intervention, include:

• nervous stresses that cause disturbances in the digestive processes;
• improper diet (overeating, an abundance of spicy, fried, fatty foods), due to which a person has heartburn;
• intense sports training, accompanied by overstrain of the abdominal muscles;
• pregnancy - expectant mothers in the later stages may experience similar discomfort due to tension muscles and ligaments or when the fetus takes an uncomfortable position for the mother and presses on the internal organs.

For non-medical reasons (that is, those that are not associated with various diseases and pathologies) pain in the navel also includes mechanical injuries of the abdomen, but the question of the need for a visit to the hospital in this case is decided individually. If the injury was not too severe, and there is no risk of damage to internal organs, it is enough to apply ice to the bruised area.

Digestive causes of pain

Anatomically, in the area above the navel, the stomach and duodenum are located, and a little higher is the pancreas. Accordingly, diseases of these organs can cause discomfort. When determining the possible cause of discomfort, one should focus on its intensity and nature (dull, stitching, cramping pains, etc.), as well as additional signs.

Table. Possible causes of pain and their symptoms.

Possible cause of pain	Symptoms
Gastritis	In the chronic course of the disease, pain is accompanied by nausea and stool disorders, with exacerbation in a person develops frequent vomiting, pallor of the skin, dry mouth, general weakness.
Ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum	Unpleasant sensations in the abdomen of varying intensity, which usually occur on an empty stomach, and decrease after eating.
Duodenitis (inflammation of the duodenum)	Pain syndrome of a dull nature, less often - a sensation of severe burning, aggravated by palpation. It is accompanied by a deterioration in appetite, and gas formation and nausea are observed after eating.
Gastroduodenitis (inflammation of the duodenum with involvement of one of the parts of the stomach in the process)	Discomfort occurs directly above the navel, the sensations are paroxysmal and radiate to the right side of the body. The pain intensifies after eating, and its intensity decreases during the meal or after taking medication, sometimes accompanied by increased gas production and nausea.
Pancreatitis (pathological processes in the pancreas)	The pain syndrome is strong enough and is poorly relieved by painkillers or antispasmodic drugs. With the defeat of the central part of the organ, discomfort is localized directly above the navel, and with inflammation of the head or tail, in the upper abdomen on the right or left.
GI neoplasms, benign or malignant	At the first stage, the disease may be asymptomatic, then the person feels an aversion to food, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, he has a sharp weight loss, general weakness and apathy.
Intestinal cramps or cramps	Sharp, cramping pain, which is accompanied by chills and deterioration in general well-being.
Poisoning	When the body is intoxicated, pain in the navel area can also occur, and in this case it is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, pallor of the skin.

One of the most serious causes of pain in the epigastric region is appendicitis, i.e. inflammation of the appendix. The pain begins near the navel or above it, after which it moves to the right lower square of the abdomen, becomes intense, persistent, increases with coughing or any movements.

Important! The abdomen becomes hard and as if tense, weakness and nausea appear, and the temperature may rise. In this case, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible, since the disease is treated exclusively by surgery.

Other causes of pain above the navel

In addition to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pain above the navel can be caused by disturbances in the work of other organs - the gallbladder, reproductive organs in women, and in some cases in this part of the peritoneum give unpleasant sensations in cardiovascular diseases.

1. Inflammation of the gallbladder, gallstone disease. With this disease, unpleasant sensations of a paroxysmal nature arise above the navel and are given to the right hypochondrium, in addition, patients have defecation disorders, appetite disorders, frequent belching and bitter taste in the mouth.
   

   Cholelithiasis

2. Umbilical hernia, purulent-septic processes. The pain syndrome in this case depends on the severity of the pathological process, increases with palpation and, as usually accompanied by tissue changes - a slight swelling appears in the navel area, sometimes with purulent contents inside.
   

   Umbilical hernia

3. Gynecological diseases. Diseases that can manifest as pain in the navel area include endometriosis and others. inflammatory processes of the reproductive organs, as well as neoplasms of the uterus or ovaries and ectopic pregnancy. This symptom is not indicative or specific for such disorders, but occurs in about 10% of cases. Along with discomfort in women, menstrual irregularities are observed, sometimes bloody or purulent discharge from the vagina.
   

   Endometriosis

4. Spleen lesions. Enlargement of the spleen, which occurs in autoimmune diseases, tuberculosis, disorders of the hematopoiesis process, is manifested by pain in the navel, weakness, shortness of breath, pallor of the skin.
   

   The structure of the digestive tract

5. Osteochondrosis. Degenerative changes in the spine are sometimes characterized by symptoms that resemble gastritis, and they increase with physical activity and decrease at rest.
   

   Osteochondrosis

6. Cardiovascular pathology. With angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, pain can occur in the most unexpected places and often resemble pain in gastrointestinal lesions. It is possible to distinguish cardiovascular pathologies from digestive ones by the following features: they are not associated with the process of eating and are accompanied not by nausea, diarrhea or constipation, but by jumps in blood pressure, shortness of breath and arrhythmia.

Pain above the navel in children

In children, pain in the navel area can be the result of the same diseases as in adults, but most often they are caused by stress, lactose intolerance, reflux, or nutritional errors.

Unpleasant sensations that are caused by nervous stress are called functional pain.. They often appear in hyperactive, mobile children due to the special structure of the nervous system. This symptom does not threaten health, but it can cause a lot of discomfort - children with such disorders often miss school and have poor academic performance.

Lactose intolerance is another cause of abdominal pain in infants and preschoolers. The mechanism of development of pathology lies in the absence of a lack of enzymes that break down lactose contained in milk and dairy products, which in turn causes abdominal cramping after consuming certain products.

Reflux (the throwing of stomach contents into the esophagus), constipation, and other digestive disorders that may be accompanied by abdominal pain children are most often provoked by errors in nutrition - a lack of foods with fiber content and a small amount of food consumed liquids.

When should you see a doctor immediately?

Many people, with the appearance of pain above the navel, try to cope with them on their own, taking painkillers drugs and antispasmodics, but sometimes a similar symptom can be a manifestation of serious pathologies that threaten health and life.

Immediately call an ambulance for abdominal pain in the following cases:

• pain syndrome does not disappear or returns within 3 hours after taking painkillers;
• severe vomiting or diarrhea, especially if it is dark or bloody;
• violation of swallowing functions or breathing;
• muscle tension on the anterior wall of the peritoneum;
• progressive weakness, sweating, high fever, or fainting;
• bleeding from the anus or vagina.

Such signs indicate the development of conditions that require immediate surgical intervention. Particular attention should be paid to pain above the navel in pregnant women, children or the elderly (even in the absence of threatening symptoms) - any pathology in such patients develops very quickly and can lead to sad consequences.

In the above cases, it is impossible to give the person any medications before the arrival of the medical team, as they can lubricate a clinical picture, and it is also worth refraining from eating, enemas, applying ice or a heating pad to the stomach, so as not to worsen the condition sick.

Diagnosis for pain above the navel

If pain in the navel is the only symptom, it is not so easy to identify its cause. People who have consulted a doctor with this complaint will need to undergo a comprehensive diagnosis of the body, which includes:

• general tests of blood, feces and urine;
• Ultrasound of the peritoneal organs;
• gastroscopy;
• study of stomach acidity (pH-metry);
• in case of suspected neoplasms of the digestive tract - CT, MRI, biopsy.

Based on the research results, the patient is prescribed conservative treatment or surgery.

What to do if the stomach hurts above the navel?

First of all, one should understand what factors the pain is associated with - food intake, mental or physical stress, etc. If the pain syndrome is not too strong, and the general well-being of the person has not deteriorated, you can take an anesthetic, antispasmodic, or heartburn medication (depending on the nature of the pain) and lie down a little. Besides, it is recommended to give up fatty, spicy, smoked and salty foods for several daysto eliminate unnecessary stress on the gastrointestinal tract.

Isolated cases of pain above the navel, as a rule, do not pose a threat to health and should not cause anxiety, but if the pain becomes chronic, you should see your doctor as soon as possible to find out causes.

Video - Why does the navel hurt