Stomach ache and abdominal pain

Stomach ache and abdominal pain | NHS inform Home Illnesses and conditions Symptoms and self-help Tests and treatments Healthy living Care, support and rights Scotlands Service Directory 0 Home Illnesses and conditions Stomach, liver and gastrointestinal tract Stomach ache and abdominal pain Stomach ache and abdominal pain Return to Symptoms Enter age Last Updated: Next Review Date: Review my answers Find your local services Search for a service near you by entering your postcode below. Please input your postcode in the following format: A12 1BC GP Practices Dental Services Pharmacies Opticians Postcode Search NHS inform has more information on this condition. Read more Previous Start guide Review my answers  You told us your credentials were: : You said: Based on the information you gave us, we made the following recommendation: Close Keep a copy View PDF A stomach ache is cramps or a dull ache in the tummy (abdomen). It usuallydoes not last longand is often not serious.Severe abdominal pain is a greater cause for concern. Abdominal pain self-help guide Complete our self-help guide to check your symptoms and find out what to do next. Stomach crampswith bloating Stomach crampswith bloating areoftencaused bytrapped wind. Your pharmacist can recommend treatments to help, such as: buscopan mebeverine Find your local pharmacy Sudden stomach cramps with diarrhoea If your stomach cramps have started recently and you also have diarrhoea , the cause may be a tummy bug (gastroenteritis) . This means you have a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and bowel. It should get better without treatment after a few days. Gastroenteritis may be caused by: coming into close contact with someone whos infected eating contaminated food ( food poisoning ) If you have repeated bouts of stomach cramps and diarrhoea, you may have a long-term condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) . Sudden severe abdominal pain Sudden agonising pain in a particular area of your abdomen may be a sign of a serious problem. Itcould rapidly get worse without treatment. If there is any possibility that you could be pregnant, take a pregnancy test. Go to A&E or phone 999 for an ambulance if: youre less than 16 weeks pregnant and have severe abdominal pain a stomach ache came on very suddenly or is severe it hurts when you touch your stomach youre vomiting blood or your vomit looks like ground coffee your poo is bloody or black and sticky and extremely smelly you cannot pee you cannot poo or fart you cannot breathe you have chest pain you have diabetes and youre vomiting someone has collapsed Speak to your GP if: a stomach ache gets much worse quickly stomach pain or bloating will not go away or keeps coming back you have stomach pain and problems with swallowing food youre losing weight without trying to you suddenly pee more often or less often peeing is suddenly painful you bleed from your bottom or vagina, or have abnormal discharge from your vagina you have diarrhoea that does not go away after a few days If your GP is closed, phone 111. Serious causes of sudden severe abdominal pain include: appendicitis  the swelling of the appendix means your appendix will need to be removed a bleeding or perforated stomach ulcer acute cholecystitis  inflammation of the gallbladder, which may need to be removed kidney stones  small stones may be passed out in your urine, but larger stones may block the kidney tubes, and youll need to go to hospital to have them broken up diverticulitis  inflammation of the small pouchesin the bowel that sometimes requires treatment with antibiotics in hospital ectopic pregnancy  when a fertilised egg develops outside the womb  ectopic pregnancy can be very serious if it isnt treated If your GP suspects you have one of these conditions, they may refer you to hospitalimmediately. Sudden and severe pain in your abdomen can also sometimes be caused by an infection of the stomach and bowel (gastroenteritis). It may also be caused by a pulled musclein your abdomen or by an injury. Long-term or recurring abdominal pain See your GP if you or your child havepersistent or repeated abdominal pain. The cause is often not serious and can be managed. Possible causes in adults include: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)  the pain is often relieved when you go to the toilet inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)for example Crohns disease , ulcerative colitis and endometriosis a urinary tract infection (UTI) that keeps returning youll usually alsohavea burning sensation when you urinate constipation period pain painful muscle cramps in women that are linked to the menstrual cycle stomach ulcer heartburn and acid reflux gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) Possiblecauses in children include: constipation aUTIthat keeps returning heartburn and acid reflux abdominal migraines recurrent episodes of abdominal pain with no identifiable cause Source: NHS 24 - Opens in new browser window Last updated: 29 May 2023 How can we improve this page? Help us improve NHS inform Thank You Your feedback has been received Dont include personal information e.g. name, location or any personal health conditions. Email Address e.g. you@example.com Message Maximum of 500 characters Send feedback Add this page to\n            Info For Me Also on NHS inform Self-help guide: Diarrhoea Chest pain NHS inform About NHS inform Editorial policy Contact us Webchat Give feedback about NHS inform Info for Me tool Terms and conditions Privacy and cookies policy Freedom of information (FOI) Accessibility Other languages and formats  2023 NHS 24  v1.1.1.17852