abdominal pain

Last reviewed 01/2018

Abdominal pain represents one of the most common symptoms in medicine; nearly everyone suffers it at some stage. In most cases it is not associated with serious or life- threatening pathology, but the clinician must always be aware that abdominal pain may represent serious pathology.

Abdominal pain is described, as all pains should be, by:

  • site
  • nature / character
  • duration
  • intensity
  • radiation
  • precipitating and relieving factors
  • associated symptoms, e.g. nausea, vomiting