Intestinal pain: causes, treatments, when to consult?

2023-06-30 16:50:02

L’intestine is a part of the digestive tract, which helps in the digestion of food and the passage of nutrients to the blood. This part of the digestive tract extends from the outlet of the stomach to the anus. Pain in this organ can be particularly painful. But it is still necessary to recognize them and identify their cause to know what reflexes to adopt.

How to recognize pain in the intestines?

We know that a stomach ache affects the intestine when the following signs are present:

A pain in the lower abdomen with a bar feel. The pain can be relieved by passing a bowel movement. The pain is most common upon waking and early in the day and can last from a few hours to a few days. Of the bloating (meteorism); A feeling of heaviness ; Of the cramps or of spasms ;Of the bowel sounds ; A major gas production (flatulence or farts); Of the transit disorders : diarrhea and or constipation (sometimes an alternation of the two).

In the vast majority of cases, these signs are those of an irritable bowel syndrome.

What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

The irritable bowel syndrome (IIS) is the most common cause of chronic abdominal pain. Indeed, 5 to 10% of the French population would be affected. Women following 30 would be more affected.

This syndrome leads to motricity and intestinal sensitivity disorders and an imbalance in the composition of the microbiota. Digestive function abnormalities can range from mild to moderate discomfort to profoundly alter the quality of life of some patients.

In addition to digestive signs, other manifestations are described such as headaches, hot flushes, fatigue or muscle pain.

What can cause pain in the intestines?

The pain can come from the small intestine or the colon.

Where do small intestine ailments come from?

The small intestine follows the stomach. It is extended by the large intestine (or colon). Several conditions can explain the suffering of this organ, such as:

A single viral gastroenteritis or a food poisoning bacterial or viral. In this case the symptoms are intense and transient; There crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which corresponds to the chronic inflammation of the lining of the digestive system; Of the food intolerances as gluten intolerance (celiac disease) or to lactose. Celiac disease is a digestive condition that affects the small intestine. If you have celiac disease, eating gluten damages the small intestine’s villi, finger-like growths that trap nutrients from your food. These lesions can cause both digestive (including pain) and non-digestive symptoms. peptic ulcer which corresponds to a localized loss of substance in the wall of the stomach or the initial part of the small intestine (duodenum). It is manifested by burning and intense abdominal cramps.

Be careful, if you suffer from brutal and intense pain associated with a stoppage of the functioning of the transit (stoppage of gas and stool emission), you should quickly go to the emergency department. Indeed, it might be a intestinal obstruction. The most common causes of bowel obstruction in adults are scar tissue formation from previous abdominal surgery, hernias and tumors.

How to explain colon pain?

The colon (or large intestine) has the important role of passing feces through the rectum. Suffering in the large intestine can cause pain as well as transit disorders. The pathologies in question can be:

And irritable bowel syndrome ;The hemorrhagic rectocolic is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestinal mucosa in the rectum, and which frequently extends to the colon; There colonic diverticulosis when small abnormal cavities develop in the intestinal wall of constipated people. These abnormalities, related to a strong push to move the stool forward, appear in places where the intestinal muscle wall is weaker. They retain bacteria causing inflammation: we then speak of diverticulites. These are associated with pain and sometimes fever. low fiber diet promotes the formation of diverticula; THEcolon polyps are small growths that grow at the expense of the intestinal mucosa. They can cause bleeding or progress to cancer, hence the need to remove them when performing a colonoscopy. Colon Cancer is one of the most common cancers in industrialized countries. Family history and the presence of polyps are the main risk factors leading to regular monitoring by colonoscopy. I’appendicitis (or sudden inflammation of the appendix) occurs especially in a young population where it is the most common medical emergency.

What causes functional bowel disease (irritable bowel syndrome)?

In the vast majority of cases, chronic intestinal pain is explained by the existence of a functional colopathy or irritable bowel syndrome. The origins of this hypersensitivity of the digestive tract remain unknown. The triggers for painful flare-ups can be;

A gastroenteritis ;Emotional factors such as anxiety, anguish, the stress or the occurrence of difficult events; Dietary factors such as unbalanced or too large meals ; The wearing clothes that are too tight.

Painful intestines: who and when to consult?

It is not always easy to know if it is necessary to consult in case of intestinal pain. In general, it is best to make an appointment with your doctor if bowel pain persists for more than a week.

Additionally, you should consult your gastroenterologist who follows you, if you suffer from a chronic bowel disease and that intestinal pain has persisted for more than a week.

Finally, it is recommended to go directly to the emergency department if intense abdominal pain appears suddenly, especially if it is associated with:

And stopping gas and bowel movements ; The presence of bleeding in the stool or in vomiting ; Of the pain in the chest, neck or shoulders ; An alteration of the general state: fever, weightloss, fatigue…

How to relieve stomach pain?

The management of abdominal pain first and foremost involves treating the cause of them. It is therefore necessary to know if these pains are the consequence of an inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome or any other condition likely to cause these types of symptoms.

In order to determine the cause of this evil, the doctor first proceeds to a physical examination. Complementary examinations can then be prescribed in order to establish a diagnostic accurate : blood and stool tests medical imaging (ultrasound, scanner, IRM..), of the endoscopic examinations (fibroscopy or colonoscopy).

What medications should I take for stomach aches?

In order to relieve intestinal pain, it is possible to take certain medications such as:

and antispasmodic (de type Spasfon® or Meteospasmil®) ; and analgesic non-morphine – such as Paracetamol® ; and anti-inflammatory may be prescribed: acetaminophen is generally preferred over ibuprofen or aspirin.

Change your habits to avoid stomach ache

In case of chronic abdominal pain, a few daily changes in your diet might be beneficial. Seek advice from a nutritionist, dietician or your gastroenterologist if you are being followed for a digestive disease. A balanced diet can improve your health balance of your intestinal microbiota.

If you have irritable bowel syndrome, your doctor may encourage you to have a low fodmap diet. Fodmaps are small fermentable sugars, that is to say they can ferment in the intestine. Among the foods rich in Fodmap that should be avoided in this diet, we find: foods rich in fructose (honey, mangoes, etc.), those that contain lactose (dairy products), polyols (l avocado, mushrooms, etc.), fructans (wheat and its derivatives, onions, garlic, etc.) or even galacto-oligosaccharides (legumes, “soya milk”, etc.).

Stress treatment to relieve symptoms

Very often stomach ache is triggered by emotional factors such as anxiety and the stress. It may be wise to treat these in order to overcome these symptoms. Psychotherapy, alternative medicine, herbal medicine, meditation, hypnosis, EMDR… there are a large number of methods to find serenity. It’s up to you to find the one that suits you best. Sometimes small doses of anxiolytics or even antidepressants (in case of anxiety disorders) can be prescribed by the doctor.

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