The abdomen is a large region of the body that houses many internal organs, such as the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, small intestine, and large intestine, as well as the reproductive organs in females. Because of this, many conditions that affect these organs can also cause abdominal pain. Common causes of abdominal pain include: Acute conditions: - Abdominal aortic aneurysm - Appendicitis - Cholangitis (bile duct inflammation) - Cholecystitis - Cystitis (bladder inflammation) - Diabetic ketoacidosis - Diverticulitis - Duodenitis (inflammation in the small intestine) - Ectopic pregnancy - Fecal impaction (stool that cannot be eliminated) - Heart attack - Injury - Intestinal obstruction - Intussusception (in children) - Kidney infection (pyelonephritis) - Kidney stones - A liver abscess (a pus-filled pocket in the liver) - Mesenteric ischemia (decreased blood flow to intestines) - Mesenteric lymphadenitis - Mesenteric thrombosis - Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation) - Pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue around the heart) - Peritonitis (infection of the abdominal lining) - Pleurisy (inflammation of the membrane surrounding lungs) - Pneumonia - Pulmonary infarction - Ruptured spleen - Salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes) - Sclerosing mesenteritis - Shingles - Spleen infection - A splenic abscess (a pus-filled pocket in the spleen) - Torn colon - Urinary tract infection (UTI) - Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) Chronic (intermittent, or episodic): - Angina (reduced blood flow to the heart) - Celiac disease - Endometriosis - Functional dyspepsia - Gallstones - Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) - Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) - Hiatal hernia - Inguinal hernia - Irritable bowel syndrome - Mittelschmerz (ovulation pain) - Ovarian cysts - Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) - Peptic ulcer - Sickle cell anemia - Strained or pulled abdominal muscle - Ulcerative colitis (type of inflammatory bowel disease) Progressive conditions, such as: - Crohn's disease (type of inflammatory bowel disease) - Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) - Gallbladder cancer - Hepatitis - Kidney cancer - Lead poisoning - Liver cancer - Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - Pancreatic cancer - Stomach cancer - Tubo-ovarian abscess - Uremia (buildup of waste products in the blood)