Abdominal Diseases

Symptoms and Signs of Abdominal Disorders

While most people describe abdominal disease as stomach pain, many other symptoms are associated with these disorders. Doctors found that many of the abdominal disease symptoms occur together, such as stomach pain and headaches, diarrhea and vomiting.

Since so many conditions are considered abdominal disease, these symptoms usually correlate to the underlying condition:

• Stomach pain
• Indigestion
• Constipation
• Fever
• Sweating
• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Gas
• Acid reflux
• Vomiting/a nauseous feeling
• Bloody stools or vomit
• Painful or unusually frequent urination
• Tenderness in the abdomen

Many times persistent abdominal pain and fever indicates inflammation in the organs. But stomach pain and diarrhea can be as simple as eating too much greasy foods, or it can indicate more serious conditions, such as Crohn’s disease or IBD.

Abdominal surgery is a broad classification of surgical procedures performed in the abdominal region to diagnose or treat a medical condition. It involves different techniques depending on which abdominal organ is involved, i.e. the stomach, liver, or kidney, among others. Most of these procedures traditionally require opening the abdomen with a large incision and are referred to as open abdomen surgeries or laparotomies, which are considered as major operations that are followed by extended recovery and down time period. However, newer techniques have paved the way for laparoscopic surgeries that only require significantly smaller incisions that leave less scarring and cause less post-operative pain.

Laparoscopic surgeries make use of tubes that are inserted into tiny incisions made on the patient’s body. The tubes are attached to a video camera that gives the surgeon a view of the abdominal interior as a guide during the surgery. Surgical instruments are also designed to work with the said tubes, completely eliminating the need for making large incisions. As a result, patients recover from the procedure faster and also experience minimal blood loss and minimal scarring. They also greatly reduce the risk of infection. This minimally invasive approach to abdominal surgery is becoming more and more in demand these days as laparoscopic technology continues to improve.