Causes of diffuse abdominal pain
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Diffuse abdominal pain should be aggressively evaluated for a surgical abdomen since it often denotes a potentially life-threatening etiology.
Causes
Life Threatening Causes
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Appendicitis
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- Gastrointestinal perforation
- Ischemic colitis
- Mesenteric ischemia
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Peritonitis
- Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
Common Causes
- Gastrointestinal perforation
- Ischemic colitis
- Mesenteric ischemia
- Peritonitis
- Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
Causes by Organ System
Cardiovascular | Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm |
Chemical/Poisoning | No underlying causes |
Dental | No underlying causes |
Dermatologic | No underlying causes |
Drug Side Effect | No underlying causes |
Ear Nose Throat | No underlying causes |
Endocrine | Adrenal insufficiency, diabetic ketoacidosis |
Environmental | No underlying causes |
Gastroenterologic | Acute pancreatitis, appendicitis, bowel obstruction, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal perforation, ileus, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ischemic colitis, large bowel obstruction, mesenteric ischemia, necrotizing enterocolitis, Ogilvie syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, peritonitis, small bowel obstruction |
Genetic | Familial Mediterranean fever, hereditary angioedema |
Hematologic | No underlying causes |
Iatrogenic | No underlying causes |
Infectious Disease | Malaria, herpes zoster |
Musculoskeletal/Orthopedic | No underlying causes |
Neurologic | No underlying causes |
Nutritional/Metabolic | No underlying causes |
Obstetric/Gynecologic | Endometriosis |
Oncologic | No underlying causes |
Ophthalmologic | No underlying causes |
Overdose/Toxicity | No underlying causes |
Psychiatric | No underlying causes |
Pulmonary | No underlying causes |
Renal/Electrolyte | No underlying causes |
Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy | Lupus mesenteric vasculitis |
Sexual | No underlying causes |
Trauma | No underlying causes |
Urologic | No underlying causes |
Miscellaneous | Retroperitoneal fibrosis, spider bite |