Acute abdominal pain is when there is sudden pain about the stomach region that gets worse rather quickly but only lasts a relatively short time (usually under three days). The abdominal area of the body is found between the hips and the chest, and contains those organs that are responsible for digestion, i.e. the bowel, the stomach, the liver, the pancreas, the gallbladder and the spleen.

There are different kinds of acute abdominal pain. These include visceral pain, which is the pain felt if the internal organs are swollen or damaged and can be described as a burning or “crampy” pain that can build slowly and is usually felt in the middle of the stomach.

Parietal pain is the pain felt after an injury, the result of which can mean contents like pus, urine or bile leaking into the abdomen and hurting the lining. The pain associated with this is quite sharp and can start all of a sudden, with the patient knowing exactly where it’s found in the abdomen area.

Referred pain can be due to a damaged or pressed on nerve and is actually felt in another area of the body, away from the cause.

Although in a few cases acute abdominal pain has no obvious cause, there are times when one of the subsequent conditions could be to blame: a bowel blockage, inflammation of an abdominal organ, kidney stones, or a blood disease of some sort.

Acute Abdominal Pain

Obesity occurs when excess weight causes health problems.  People with obesity usually have a BMI or Body Mass Index greater than 30.  Weight gain is usually caused when energy (calorie) intake is more than calories burnt.  There are many risks for people with obesity as it can contribute to an increase in a variety of diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.  Some people are more prone to weight gain than others and this can be down to genes, however, most people find that obesity is a factor of lifestyle and eating behaviors.

Many people eat when they are depressed, lonely, anxious, stressed or just when they are bored.  Obesity is also linked to a lack of physical exercise.  In today’s day there seems to be more and more examples of children showing signs of obesity at an alarmingly young age.  Schools, parents and government organizations seem to be recognizing the need to encourage children to eat more healthily and to support exercise programs.

Obesity

There is a higher amount of processed, cheaper foods available on the market today which are higher in sugar, salt, and fat which contributes to the increase in obesity levels among young people.  Coupled with the trend for video games and increased numbers of TV channels it is no surprise that more and more young people are being diagnosed with obesity every day.

Diet and exercise are the most important factors when preventing obesity.  In order to lose weight people need to reduce daily calories and partake in at least 20 – 30 minutes of exercise daily.  Increased fruit and vegetables can help to feel full and reduce the chance of reaching for sugary foods which contain more fat.

Tuberculosis is a condition which primarily affects the lungs.  The bacteria which cause tuberculosis are slow moving bacteria and a person who has been infected might not have any symptoms for months or years afterwards.  The infection can spread to other parts of the body such as the nervous system or the bones.  Symptoms of tuberculosis include a cough that won’t go away, night sweats and weight loss but most of the time the immune system will kill off the bacteria and there will be no symptoms.  Sometimes, if the immune system cannot kill the bacteria it will build up a defense to the infection and it will stay in the body but no symptoms will be experienced, however, sometimes the body just cannot fight the bacteria and the infection spreads to the lungs and becomes known as active tuberculosis.  It can happen that in cases where the infection has lain dormant in the body in can become active at a later date.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis was a major disease many years ago and resulted in many deaths, but the introduction of antibiotics and vaccinations helped to reduce this.  In recent years though, tuberculosis cases have been increasing again, especially in ethnic minorities who have come from areas where tuberculosis is still widespread. Areas where the disease is widespread include countries of Africa south of the Sahara desert, Eastern Europe, Central America, South East Asia, and Russia.

If tuberculosis is not treated it can be deadly as it can result in the person not being able to breath properly. Treatment with antibiotics for tuberculosis usually involves taking a course for at least six months.