Lower Abdomen Pain Causes

What Causes Lower Abdominal Pain?

The focus of this article is lower abdomen pain causes that are not related to a woman's menstrual cycle or female reproductive organs. That type of lower abdomen pain will get plenty of attention in future articles. This page will focus on lower abdomen pain causes that can occur in both genders.

The lower abdomen is crowded with organs, muscles, tissues and blood vessels. So there are numerous possible causes for lower abdominal pain.

Sometimes, pain in the lower abdomen doesn't even originate in the area where it's felt. It can come from an area close to the abdomen but not actually in it. This is known as "referred pain."

On the other hand, sometimes pain that originates in the lower abdomen is experienced elsewhere in the body.

For example, pancreatic inflammation may be felt in the back. A gallbladder attack can cause pain in the upper right back or between the shoulder blades.

For these and other reasons, diagnosing lower abdomen pain causes can be challenging.

Common lower abdomen pain causes

Descriptions of lower abdomen pain causes will be necessarily brief. Articles that focus more on individual conditions and symptoms will be posted soon.

The main causes of lower abdomen pain fall into several categories: inflammation, distention, obstruction, loss of blood supply, and cancer. In addition, some disorders have no identified cause, and therefore, belong in a category of their own.

Appendicitis Irritation, inflammation, and pain in the appendix is caused by infection, scarring, or blockage. The appendix is in the lower right abdomen, so that's where the pain usually originates.
 
Bladder problems A bladder stone may cause lower abdomen pain by irritating the bladder wall or blocking the flow of urine. A bladder infection, also known as cystitis, causes spasms and a burning or stinging sensation during urination.

Colitis This is an inflammation of the large intestine. It occurs in a number of forms, including Crohn's disease.

Diverticulitis This is due to the irritation or infection of small pouches in the colon known as diverticula.
 
Gallstones These may be small as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. Sometimes gallstones don't cause problems, but when they lodge in a bile duct and cause a blockage, they cause lower abdomen pain.

Hepatitis This liver disease is more likely to cause pain in the upper abdomen, but it's worth mentioning here nonetheless.

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome The exact cause is unclear, but may be due to abnormal contractions of the intestinal muscles or abnormally sensitive nerves within the intestines.

Kidney stones Stones form in the kidneys and then drop down into the ureter between the kidneys and the bladder. These stones can block urine flow, causing extreme pain. The pain often occurs in the mid-back, but may radiate down into the lower abdomen.

Lower abdominal pain caused by cancer

Cancer can occur in any of the organs of the lower abdomen. Women must be especially careful to watch for cancer symptoms because of the possibility of tumors in the reproductive organs that can cause lower abdomen pain.

More information on these topics will be posted in the future.