Belly pain is usually caused by diarrhea, which occurs due to increased bowel activity and bowel movements. This problem is usually caused by infections with viruses or bacteria, but also by other conditions that cause irritation of the intestine, such as alcoholic drinks, food intolerances and some medications, such as antibiotics.
This pain may be associated with other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or fever and usually lasts between 3 and 7 days, and can be treated at home with rest, hydration and symptom relief medicines such as Buscopan.
Thus, the main causes of belly pain are:
1. Bowel infections
Infections caused by viruses, some bacteria, worms and amoebas cause inflammation of the intestine and usually cause tummy ache that is accompanied by many symptoms. These infections usually happen after travel, due to exposure to new microorganisms, or by eating poorly maintained foods from restaurants and snack bars.
- What you feel : Belly pain is accompanied by diarrhea with soft or liquid stools, nausea, vomiting, and low fever. Virus infection causes tummy ache more commonly, and usually cures on its own in about 3 to 5 days. Some bacteria, such as salmonella and shigella, cause more serious infections. In addition to pain, blood or mucus stools may occur, more than 10 bowel movements per day, fever above 38.5 ° C, and apathy.
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2. Use of some medicines
Laxative remedies and some medications, such as antibiotics, prokinetics, anti-inflammatories and metformin, for example, can speed up bowel movements or decrease fluid absorption, facilitating the onset of pain and diarrhea.
- What it feels like : Mild belly pain, which appears just before bowel movements, and improves after passing the effect of the remedy. The stomachache caused by medicines is not usually accompanied by other symptoms.
3. Food allergy or intolerance
Food allergies such as milk protein, egg, gluten or lactose intolerance, for example, cause abdominal pain and gas production because they are irritating to the intestine, which is difficult to absorb food. Consumption of alcoholic beverages can also cause diarrhea in some people because alcohol may have an irritating action on the gut.
- What it feels like : Belly pain in these cases arises after food intake and can be mild to moderate, depending on the severity of the allergy of each person. It usually improves within 48 hours after ingestion, and may be accompanied by nausea and excess gas.
4. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Diseases that cause inflammation of the intestine, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, for example, can produce intense inflammation of this organ, which can present lesions and be difficult to perform.
- What it feels : In the initial stages, these diseases produce tummy ache, diarrhea and excess gas, but the most serious cases can be responsible for weight loss, anemia, bleeding and mucus production in the stool.
5. Stress and anxiety
These changes in the psychological state increase the amount of adrenaline and cortisol in the blood, accelerating the activity of the intestine, as well as reducing the absorption capacity of food in the intestine, which can produce pain and diarrhea.
- What it feels like : Belly pain that happens in cases of intense stress or fear, which is difficult to control but that improves after the person calms down or after the stressful situation has been resolved.
6. Intestinal cancer
Cancer in the gut can cause tummy ache by altering the intestinal rhythm or by causing deformities on your wall.
- What you feel : The symptoms depend on the location and severity of the cancer, but in most cases there is belly pain accompanied by bleeding in the stool, and alternations between constipation and diarrhea.
In addition, some people may experience belly pain without being sick or with bowel problems, such as after eating or waking up, and this is related to natural reflexes that induce the urge to defecate.
When to go to the ER
Belly pain may be accompanied by symptoms that indicate severity, which are usually caused due to infections by bacteria, amoebas and stronger inflammatory diseases. The symptoms are:
- Diarrhea that persists for more than 5 days;
- Fever above 38.5 ° C;
- Presence of bleeding;
- More than 10 bowel movements per day.
In these cases, prompt care should be sought to assess the need for antibiotics, such as bactrim or ciprofloxacin, for example, and hydration in the vein.
How To Treat Belly Pain
Generally, mild cases of belly pain resolve naturally in about 5 days, only with rest and oral hydration with water or homemade serum, made at home or bought ready at the pharmacy. The symptoms of pain and nausea can be controlled with medicines like analgesics, antispasmodics and antiemetics such as dipirone, Buscopan and Plasil.
Serum should be drunk for the duration of diarrhea, in the amount of 1 cup after each bowel movement. See easy recipes for homemade whey.
In cases of bacterial infection, it may be necessary to use antibiotics prescribed by the general practitioner when they are infections with more severe or persistent symptoms. In cases of very severe diarrhea that causes dehydration, it may also be necessary to hydrate the vein.
The treatment of belly pain caused by diseases, intolerances or food allergies, is guided by the general practitioner or gastroenterologist, according to each type of disease.
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Belly pain in child
In these cases, stomach pain is usually caused by food poisoning or contact with virus, and should be treated by the pediatrician, with medicines to relieve colic, such as dipirone and Buscopan, and hydration with homemade serum.
Belly pain is severe when accompanied by drowsiness, apathy, high fever, high thirst, presence of very liquid stools and many bowel movements per day, and the child should be taken to the emergency room as soon as possible for hydration in the vein and for the pediatrician to make the correct diagnosis of the cause.
Understand more about what to do when your child has diarrhea and vomiting.
