Six Reasons why your Belly Aches

Do you associate your stomach pain with the infection you got through the spicy burger from the famous food joint? It's time to think out of the box, because there's a lot more to belly ache than just that. Some serious complications and some not-so-serious ones could be causing your stomach ache. Here’s the list of common causes of stomach pain.

Gallstones - Often the cause of stomach pain, especially in women who are more than 40 years old, gallstones are nothing but tiny 'stones' that form in the gallbladder, a part of your body that's close to your liver. These stones can cause swelling and block the intestinal duct leading to pain, especially in the right side of the upper abdomen, after you had a fatty meal.

GERD - Gastro esophageal reflux disease or GERD is a common cause of complaint among older individuals, and are often mistaken for 'heartburn'. It usually causes pain and burning sensations in the upper abdominal region and the lower chest. What happens is that the food and the stomach acids, kept in place by two sphincters, manage to get out and flow into your esophagus, irritating its fragile and delicate lining. This causes the pain. GERD most commonly occurs after you lie down or while you are sleeping.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - Studies show that incidences of gastrointestinal diseases are on the rise and irritable bowel syndrome is even more common now. IBS is not a disease but it is a group of symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, and abdominal cramping that occur at random combination or together causing abdominal pain, and may often go unidentified. Abdominal gas and bloating are also common. IBS can be caused by combination of mental (depression, anxiety etc.) and physical (bacterial infection, food sensitivity, hormones or chemicals) health problems.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - Yet another common cause of abdominal pain, particularly in women, pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection of the female reproductive system. This is usually caused by a sexually transmitted disease like gonorrhea or Chlamydia virus, and may cause pain during sexual activity, or afterward.

Cancer - Cancer is also thought to be one of the major causes of stomach pain. Tumors in the abdominal and near-abdominal region like the ovary, the uterus, the liver, the bladder, the kidney etc may be the reason of stomach pain in women.

Heart attack - Yes heart attack! Women in particular, tend to pass away a minor stomach pain, which often, claims lives, because it's actually a heart attack. Some additional symptoms such as nausea, fainting, vomiting, shortness of breath, and also sweating should not be ignored.

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Source-Medindia