The lower abdomen cuts: causes, symptoms, diagnosis

Cutting, soreness in the lower abdomen is one of the common complaints that lead people to the doctor's office. An unexpected intense pain syndrome forces a person to call the Emergency team. It should be understood that it is extremely dangerous to ignore such symptoms, since pain in the lower abdomen, especially long and acute, does not bode well and can even threaten life. However, in itself, this symptom is not considered specific and signals various failures in the human body. It will not work to establish the exact cause of the pain that has settled in the lower abdomen - only a medical professional should do this. The lower abdomen cuts in the presence of many different diseases.

Based on the collection of anamnesis, examination and subsequent diagnosis, the doctor will be able to identify the diagnosis and prescribe treatment. The difficulty in making the final medical verdict lies in the fact that the localization of pain in the lower abdomen does not always coincide with the real localization of the affected organ. It may seem to a person that it is the lower abdomen that hurts, in fact it often turns out that the pain syndrome radiates from a completely different part of the body. Therefore, with complaints that the lower abdomen is cutting, the doctor must find out what events preceded the onset of discomfort, whether there are concomitant symptoms.

For what ailments does it cut the lower abdomen?

The most common diseases characterized by a cut in the lower abdomen belong to two large groups of organs: the digestive system and the genitourinary system. Sudden, severe pain in the lower abdomen affects men and women alike. Consider what this symptom indicates in the vast majority of situations.

Table 1. Ailments characterized by pain in the abdomen

Possible diagnosis	Symptoms
Infringement of a hernia in the groin	It occurs unexpectedly, more often after strong physical exertion, lifting weights. Severe pain appears in the lower abdomen, after a while it spreads so that it is impossible to indicate the exact location. The patient's condition is rapidly deteriorating, there is nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
Urolithiasis, tumors, oncology of the genitourinary system	Acute pain in the middle of the lower abdomen, a full bladder, a strong urge to urinate against the background of the inability to go to the toilet. Urine flows only with the use of a catheter.
Acute intestinal obstruction	Severe soreness in the lower abdomen, in the projection of the lower intestines. The pain appears abruptly, is constricting, cramping in nature. The patient breaks through sweat, vomiting torments, the stomach is swollen, while there is no stool and gases do not go away.
Inflammation of the cecum	Pain in the left lower abdomen, aggravated by coughing, laughing, movements. After a bowel movement, the pain increases, which is associated with muscle tension. Stool disorder (constipation replaces diarrhea), blood is observed in the feces, signs of intoxication of the body.
Appendicitis	Intense pain on the right and below in the abdomen, which occurs suddenly and intensifies to unbearable for a short time. With an atypical course of inflammation, soreness can be observed not only on the right, but also in the middle of the abdomen or on the left. The patient suffers from nausea and vomiting, he is freezing, his body temperature is elevated.
Poisoning, viral infection	There is a cutting, twisting pain in the abdomen, rolling in attacks. The patient complains of chills, fever, cold sweats, while hypothermia may be observed or the temperature remains normal. Usually accompanied by acute diarrhea, general weakness, profuse vomiting.
Pyelonephritis	An increase in body temperature, acute pain in the lower abdomen is dull in the lower back, there is no appetite, the person is chilly, freezing, nauseous.
Internal bleeding, organ rupture	Severe pain in the lower abdomen, leading the patient into a state of shock. The state of health is rapidly deteriorating, loss of consciousness is possible.

An important point! If you have a sharp pain in any part of the abdomen, you should not take pain medications. The pills do not cure, but only mask the pain syndrome, which can be a reason for wasting time.

It seems to a person that the pain subsides, and he calms down and can fall asleep. At this time, processes occur in the body that can greatly harm health and even lead to death. The restriction applies to analgesic drugs, it is not forbidden to take an antispasmodic ("Spazmol", "Papaverin", "No-shpa" and analogues). If the condition does not change or worsens, a doctor's help is needed.

These diseases are serious and truly threaten human health and even life. If such symptoms occur, you need to quickly go to the hospital, the best solution would be to call the ambulance team. Based on the information received from the patient or their loved ones, doctors will make a decision on hospitalization. In a large number of cases, a person ends up in the surgical department, since the identified ailment requires immediate surgical intervention.

The conditions mentioned in the table are found equally in male patients and young ladies. There are also diseases characteristic of representatives of different sexes, the symptoms of which are manifested by a cut in the lower abdomen. Let's consider these ailments in more detail.

Cuts a man's lower abdomen

If we exclude the diseases that we talked about above, then the pain and pain in the lower abdomen, which men complain about, are often associated with ailments that have affected the genitourinary system. Most visits to the doctor are due to urological problems, and more specifically - an attack of acute prostatitis, inflammatory processes occurring in the testicles and their appendages.

When making the desired diagnosis, the healthcare professional relies on concomitant symptoms, including:

• Irradiation of pain syndrome into the scrotum or anus;
• Frequent urge to urinate;
• Difficulty draining urine or complete inability to urinate;
• A burning sensation in the urethra, discharge with an admixture of pus;
• Signs of general intoxication of the body.

If inflammatory processes occur in the testes or epididymis, then the pain can hardly be called acute, patients are more likely to characterize it as to call it pulling and moderate, but when taking an anamnesis, it is present as an additional symptom always. The main signs will be severe pain on palpation, swelling of the scrotum, weakness, general depression.

Acute forms of prostatitis are often caused by postponed or untreated infectious, viral ailments (scarlet fever, flu, and the like), as well as sexual infections (chlamydia, gonorrhea). In the chronic course of prostatitis, the pain is moderately expressed, so men often try to endure the discomfort rather than go to the doctor with such a delicate problem. This is an erroneous decision, since both acute and chronic prostatitis require the close attention of a urologist and the immediate appointment of therapy.

Cuts a woman's lower abdomen

An unpleasant painful syndrome can occur both in non-pregnant women and in young ladies in an interesting position. In these two situations, the diagnosis is very different, pregnant women should worry much more if they have pains of any intensity and nature in the abdomen. Let's talk about this in more detail.

Lower abdomen hurts, pregnancy is excluded

In this section, we will talk exclusively about women's diseases, which can be characterized by cutting or pain in the lower abdomen. The ailments that we list below are more common in non-pregnant women, but it is illogical to exclude them in expectant mothers.

In women who go to the hospital with complaints of acute cuts in the abdomen, ovarian hemorrhage or apoplexy is often revealed. This is a condition in which the integrity of the tissue of one ovary (less often - two at once) is disrupted and blood is thrown into the abdominal cavity. Apoplexy usually occurs during physical exertion or intense sexual intercourse, with injuries. Ovarian hemorrhage has characteristic symptoms: in addition to severe pain in the lower abdomen, there is discomfort in lumbar region, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting without relief, weakness, sweating, dizziness, loss consciousness.

Inflammation of the uterus or its appendages is the second most common diagnosis, accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen. More precisely, a woman at first feels a noticeable discomfort, which develops into a pulling, severe pain. If the inflammation followed childbirth or abortion, then the condition, on the contrary, will worsen rapidly, the pain will increase until it becomes unbearable. Concomitant symptoms: vomiting, hypothermia, peritonitis develops.

Sharp pain on the left or right, located in the lower abdomen, is often associated with torsion of the leg on which the ovarian cyst rests. A woman may not be aware of the presence of a tumor in the body until the tumor makes itself felt in this way. The leg on which a cyst grows from the ovary can twist as a result of physical overstrain, a sharp change in posture, severe weight loss, or the growth of the tumor itself. In this case, the blood flow is disturbed, arterial blood ceases to flow into the formation and it gradually dies off. In this case, the woman feels a strong pain on the side from which the ovary affected by the cyst is located. The condition is accompanied by fever, vomiting, severe depression. If the patient is not delivered to the operating table on time, the prognosis can be disappointing.

Severe painful sensations and cuts in the lower abdomen, in the projection of the ovaries, are often accompanied by the abolition of oral contraceptives. The ovaries begin to function more actively, the follicles grow faster, which is why a woman can suffer from severe pains that appear during ovulation. Usually, the pain disappears within two to three months, if no pathologies are present.

Lower abdomen hurts during pregnancy

Acute pain in the lower abdomen that appears after unprotected intercourse is a sign of ectopic pregnancy. If the fertilized egg is located outside the uterine cavity (on the cervix, ovary, in the abdominal cavity or uterine pipe), it begins to grow and gradually destroys the organ to which it is attached, which is fraught with serious bleeding. Typical symptoms of ectopic pregnancy: spotting, not like menstrual discharge, discomfort during bowel movements, acute pain in the lower abdomen, pain during sex. In this case, the pain syndrome can go to the lower back or perineum. The condition of an ectopic pregnancy is extremely dangerous for a woman and requires surgical intervention.

If a sharp pain in the lower abdomen occurs with a confirmed uterine pregnancy, this can be a dangerous symptom, indicating a possible termination of pregnancy. A pulling, cutting pain in the abdomen is one of the signs of a miscarriage, especially when accompanied by bloody or purulent discharge from the vagina. Also, acute pain localized in the lower abdomen is considered one of the signals of premature placental abruption. A placenta, even a healthy one, can begin to flake off for a number of reasons, including an accident such as a fall or a blow to the stomach. In these cases, a woman should immediately visit a gynecologist, even if the discomfort seems to her insignificant or completely absent. An additional warning sign is vaginal bleeding.

If the pregnancy is full-term, then severe abdominal pain can be contractions. Sometimes the pain syndrome appears gradually, sometimes the contractions immediately become very painful, grow rapidly and do not allow the woman to come to her senses. In this situation, it will be useful to collect things and go to the hospital.

Summarizing

No wonder the words "belly" and "life" are related since ancient times. A person can endure a toothache or headache, but in no case should one refuse medical help if the stomach hurts badly. Of course, cramps in the lower abdomen associated with overeating or sports overstrain do not require an immediate call to "Emergency". But if the nature of the cut is strong, the pain does not release for a long time, and it is impossible not to notice it, the person should be in the doctor's office as soon as possible.

Severe and acute pain suggests that it is worth seeing a surgeon, and for this it is better to call an ambulance. Moderate, but tangible pain with excluded surgical pathology is a reason to consult a urologist or gynecologist.

Video - Pain in the lower abdomen