Why does my stomach hurt after a meal?

Abdominal pain is a common clinical symptom, and there are many causes of the disease. Some people experience occasional pain, while others experience stomach pain after eating. If this happens frequently, it needs our attention. So, what causes stomach pain after a meal? This situation can be divided into several types. Once everyone understands the relevant knowledge, they will be able to detect abnormalities in the body early.

If you experience rhythmic pain in the upper abdomen after meals, you should be alert to gastric ulcer. Gastric ulcer is also a common peptic ulcer. Its cause is often related to the digestive effect of gastric acid and pepsin in gastric juice. It is more common in young and middle-aged people and can last for several years or even decades. At the beginning of gastric ulcer, there are many similarities with duodenal ulcer. The pain occurs in the upper abdomen and is rhythmic, cyclical and persistent, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

If the pain is in the right upper abdomen, you need to consider problems with the liver, gallbladder, bile duct, pancreas, duodenum, right kidney, and right large intestine; if it is pain in the right lower abdomen, you need to think about the cecum, appendix, right ovary and fallopian tube, right ureter, etc.; if it is pain in the left upper abdomen, it may be caused by the stomach, spleen, pancreas, left kidney, and left large intestine; if it is pain in the left lower abdomen, it may be caused by the sigmoid colon, left ovary and fallopian tube, left ureter, etc.; if it is pain around the navel, it mainly indicates a small intestine disease. In addition, sometimes there may be widespread pain in the entire abdominal cavity. This is usually caused by inflammation of the peritoneum due to irritation for some reason, such as ulcer perforation, ectopic pregnancy rupture, and internal bleeding.

Ulcer disease is more common in young and middle-aged people. The cause of the disease may be related to mental stress, eating disorders, long-term consumption of irritating foods or certain drugs (such as aspirin, indomethacin, reserpine, prednisone, etc.) that cause damage to the gastric mucosa and dysfunction of gastric juice secretion. Ulcer disease has symptoms such as upper abdominal pain, heartburn, belching, nausea, and vomiting, among which upper abdominal pain is the most common. The upper abdominal pain caused by ulcer disease is regular and related to diet. Gastric ulcer pain usually occurs half an hour to one hour after a meal. During the acute phase of this disease, you should get adequate rest, eat easily digestible food, and quit smoking and drinking. Alkaline drugs and antispasmodics are often used to treat ulcers to reduce gastric acid and relieve gastrointestinal spasms, thereby alleviating pain.

Common acute abdominal pain is mostly caused by inflammation of the intra-abdominal organs. Acute gastroenteritis is often accompanied by diarrhea, and the abdominal pain can be relieved after defecation. Acute appendicitis often manifests as pain in the upper abdomen and around the umbilicus, which then turns to right lower abdominal pain. It may also be accompanied by fever, vomiting, and resistance to pressure in the right lower abdomen. The abdominal muscles are tense when touched, and there is tenderness and rebound pain at McBurney's point in the right lower abdomen. Acute mesenteric lymphadenitis is more common in children under 7 years old. It is often accompanied by abdominal pain when suffering from colds, tonsillitis and fever. The abdominal pain is dull or dull, often in the right lower abdomen or around the navel. This is because the abdominal pain is caused by inflammation of the mesenteric lymph nodes during infection, which is particularly easy to be misdiagnosed as appendicitis.