Left Side Abdominal Pain
The magic box in human body, abdomen, holds several different organs and structures and thus leads to confusion at times when referred as a whole. To make it easier to point on a particular part of the abdomen, it has been divided into 2 halves, the left side abdomen and the right side abdomen. Each of these parts is again subdivided into upper and lower abdomen.
A pain experienced in the abdomen can be misleading due to the presence of numerous organs and hence it is usually identified and pointed out by its location. A pain experienced in the left half of the abdomen is generally called the left side abdominal pain which includes both the upper and lower left abdomen. A pain in the left side of abdomen is more commonly observed than on the right side.
Abdominal pain over left side varies in severity and duration based on its cause and the organ affected. It can also differ like dull, sharp, throbbing or cramping accordingly. At times it is acute and lasts only for a short time. On some occasions it can last for several months and this chronic condition can be very irritating and disturbing.
Picture: Abdomen Anatomy (Internal organs)
Image Source : adam
Causes of Left Side Abdominal Pain
Any disorder in any of the various organs or structures located in the left abdomen leads to abdominal pain on the left side. The organs that are located in the left abdomen and which can be directly responsible for abdominal pain on the left side include stomach, spleen, left kidney, left part of liver, left half of the intestine (large intestine), sigmoid colon, body and tail of pancreas, descending colon, left ureter, left ovary, left adrenal gland, skin, blood vessels, muscles and nerves. Other than these, there are some other organs like the left lung (lower part), diaphragm (left half) and heart that can lead to abdominal pain on the left side even though these are outside the abdomen.
The following medical disorders or illnesses are some of the left side abdominal pain causes classified according to the organ or structure these are related to:
Large Intestine
- Constipation is among the most common causes of abdominal pain, especially on the left side.
Pancreas
- Pancreatitis (acute or chronic) leads to severe upper left side abdominal pain.
- Pancreatic cancer
Colon
- Inflammation of the colon’s last part leading to diverticulitis.
- The development of non-inflamed pouches in the walls of colon causes abdominal pain on the left side. This condition is known as diverticulosis.
- Splenic flexure which leads to trapping of gas in the transverse colon’s left part.
- Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, as commonly known as, is a leading cause of lower left side abdominal pain.
- Twisting of transverse colon around its axis leading to volvulus.
- Antibiotic treatment sometime leads to an infection of clostridium difficile, a quite common cause of short-term abdominal pain in the lower abdomen.
Kidney
- A kidney infection or Pyelenophritis
- Inflammation of the kidney, kidney cyst and kidney stones are some other kidney-related disorders that lead to abdominal pain on the upper left side.
- Stones in the urinary tract
Spleen
- A splenic infart
- Enlarged spleen as a result of any liver disorder leads to abdominal pain. Even a case of cancer may have the same painful affect on the abdomen.
- A ruptured spleen, usually due to accidents, causes intense pain in the upper left side of abdomen.
Left Adrenal Gland
- A benign tumor in the left adrenal gland. This condition is actually termed as adrenal adenoma.
Diaphragm
- Pus collected in the diaphragm during abscess.
Muscles
- Any excessive strain or rupture of the muscles in the abdominal walls.
Lungs
- Bacterial or viral pneumonia infecting the lungs.
- Though not situated in the abdomen, inflammation of lung membrane due to pleuritis leads to abdominal pain.
- Pulmonary embolism is a lung disorder involving the clotting of blood in lungs which causes pain in the abdomen.
Appendix
- Appendicitis usually leads to pain in the lower right abdomen but in some rare cases, the lower left abdomen experiences pain.
Female Reproductive Organs
- Disorders in the female reproductive organs also lead to left side abdominal pain in women. These include gonorrhea, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, pelvic inflammatory disease, ruptured or twisted ovarian cyst, ovulation and polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Male Reproductive Organs
- Some male reproductive organs developing certain disorders like those of testes and spermatic cord in addition to gonorrhea also cause abdominal pain in the lower left side.
Heart
- Heart attack
- Angina pectoris leads to pain in the breastbone and upper left abdomen.
Abdominal Membrane (Peritoneum)
- The abdominal membrane when affected leads to endometriosis, fibroids or fibroma. All of these give rise to abdominal pain in the lower left quadrant.
Blood
Porphyria and sickle cell disease are two blood related diseases that bring along abdominal pain in the left abdomen.
Skin
- Herpes zoster and dermatitis.
Abdominal Muscles
- A sudden blow, intense workout, intestinal hernia, rectus sheath hematoma and abscess in psoas muscle are some of the abdominal muscles disorders that may cause mild to severe abdominal pain on the lower left side.
Abdominal Vessels
- The abdominal vessels when affected lead to pain in the abdomen especially during conditions like atherosclerosis, aneurism of abdominal aorta, hereditary angiodedema and henoch-schonlein-purpura.
Miscellaneous
- Bowel obstruction
- Pelvic adhesions (lower left abdominal pain)
- Abdominal adhesions (upper left abdominal pain)
Having studied what causes abdominal pain on left side, let us now have a look at the various symptoms linked to left side abdominal pain.
Symptoms and Signs of Left Side Abdominal Pain
The left side abdominal pain is itself a symptom of various diseases. However, to diagnose the actual cause of the abdominal pain, the symptoms are studied in combination with various other diseases. Left side abdominal pain signs are accompanied with the following symptoms of various other illnesses that cause the pain:
- Heartburn
- Swelling of stomach lining in gastritis
- Nausea, bloating and constipations in diverticulitis.
- Constipation, vomiting and watery stool in case of bowel obstruction.
- People infected with ulcerative colitis experience symptoms like watery stools, weight loss, fatigue, sore muscles and blood in stools.
- The eyes turn pale yellow. The urine is dart-tinted and nausea too.
Treating Left Side Abdominal Pain
Wondering how to cure left side abdominal pain? The numerous organs in the abdomen make it difficult for the accurate diagnosis. The abdominal pain on the left side can be diagnosed by tests like ultrasound, colonoscopy, endoscopy, blood and urine tests, stool tests, barium enema and X-rays.
The left side abdominal pain, or for that matter any abdominal pain, can’t be treated directly. First, the cause should be determined and the faulty organ or structure should be treated to get rid of the abdominal pain.
Left side abdominal pain treatment involves using pain killers for temporary relief. The actual disorder causing the left side abdominal pain is to be treated first in order to eliminate abdominal pain permanently.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_pains
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/abdominal-pain/MY00390
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by on 02. Oct, 2010 in Diseases and Conditions
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