Abdominal Pain

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your abdomen extends from below your chest to your groin. Some people call it the stomach, but your abdomen contains many other important organs. Pain in the abdomen can come from any one of them. The pain may start somewhere else, such as your chest. Severe pain doesn't always mean a serious problem. Nor does mild pain mean a problem is not serious.

Call your health care provider if mild pain lasts a week or more or if you have pain with other symptoms. Get medical help immediately if:

• You have abdominal pain that is sudden and sharp
• You also have pain in your chest, neck or shoulder
• You're vomiting blood or have blood in your stool
• Your abdomen is stiff, hard and tender to touch
• You can't move your bowels, especially if you're also vomiting

Start Here

• Abdominal Pain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Abdominal Pain Syndrome (American College of Gastroenterology) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Abdominal and Pelvic CT (Computed Tomography) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain), Long-Term (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain), Short-Term (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Abdominal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Endoscopy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Functional Dyspepsia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Indigestion (Dyspepsia) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Abdominal Pain (National Institutes of Health)

Find an Expert

• American College of Gastroenterology
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Colic (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Colic in Babies (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• First Aid: Stomachaches (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Functional Abdominal Pain (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Intussusception (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Pediatric Abdominal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Stomachaches (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Talking about GI Disorders (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Ultrasound: Abdomen (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Stomachaches (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Abdominal pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Flank pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish