What Causes Pain on the Surface of the Abdomen?

Abdominal surface pain is a relatively common symptom that can significantly impact a patient's daily life. There are numerous causes of abdominal surface pain, including diseases of the abdominal wall such as abdominal wall contusion, herpes zoster, and abscess. However, there are also many other contributing factors. It is crucial for patients to identify the underlying cause of their abdominal surface pain and receive targeted treatment after diagnosis.

What causes abdominal surface pain? Let's take a closer look.

(1) Acute inflammation of abdominal organs: acute gastroenteritis, acute corrosive gastritis, acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, acute appendicitis, acute cholangitis, etc.

(2) Perforation or rupture of abdominal organs: perforation of gastric and duodenal ulcers, typhoid intestinal perforation, liver rupture, spleen rupture, kidney rupture, ectopic pregnancy rupture, ovarian rupture, etc.

(3) Obstruction or dilation of abdominal organs: gastric mucosal prolapse, acute intestinal obstruction, inguinal hernia incarceration, intussusception, biliary ascariasis, cholelithiasis, renal and ureteral stones, etc.

(4) Torsion of abdominal organs: acute gastric torsion, ovarian cyst pedicle torsion, omentum torsion, intestinal torsion, etc.

(5) Vascular obstruction in the abdominal cavity: acute mesenteric artery obstruction, acute portal vein thrombosis, dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm, etc.

Abdominal wall contusion, abscess, and herpes zoster.

Acute myocardial infarction, acute pericarditis, angina pectoris, pneumonia, and pulmonary infarction.

Rheumatic fever, uremia, acute lead poisoning, hematoporphyria, abdominal allergic purpura, abdominal epilepsy, etc.

(1) Chronic inflammation: reflux esophagitis, chronic gastritis, chronic cholecystitis, chronic pancreatitis, tuberculous peritonitis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.

(2) Gastrointestinal diseases: gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastrinoma, etc.

(3) Torsion or obstruction of intra-abdominal organs: chronic gastrointestinal torsion, intestinal adhesion, omental adhesion syndrome, etc.

(4) Increased capsular tension: liver congestion, hepatitis, liver abscess, splenomegaly, etc.

(5) Gastrointestinal motility dysfunction: gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia, hepatic flexure and splenic flexure syndrome.

The nature of abdominal pain is related to the location and nature of the diseased organ. For example, colic often indicates an obstruction of a hollow organ, while distending pain is often caused by increased tension of the visceral capsule, traction of the mesentery, or expansion of the hollow organ due to gas accumulation. The degree of pain sometimes corresponds to the severity of the lesion, but due to individual differences, the degree of pain does not always reflect the severity of the lesion.