Stomach pains...

Lower Sharp Stomach Pains: The Cause of Them May Not Be the StomachThe stomach is a very specific part of your body, and is part of the gastrointestinal tract. However, when most laymen refer to sharp stomach pains they are actually referring to sharp abdominal (meaning: in the area of the abdomen) pains. Sharp abdominal pains could relate to problems originating from a number of organs, not just the stomach. Some such organs include the kidneys, appendix, aorta, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Sometimes the pain is actually not even due to these organs but due to organs in other parts of the body due to a generalized infection. Many varying conditions can cause sharp stomach pains, some of them may be more severe than others and more serious. In the case of the lower stomach pains, the organs that inhabit this region are primarily the large intestines, although as mentioned previously, the same rule applies and it could have nothing to do with any organ actually in this region.

Possible Conditions that Could Manifest As Lower Stomach PainsA number of conditions manifest themselves as lower stomach pains. Appendicitis is probably the most worrisome of all these, and is difficult to catch in the early stages due to the fact that it starts off as a not so severe discomfort around the navel. However eventually the stomach pains get worse and spread to the lower right region of the abdomen, and that's the most telling sign that it is appendicitis. The stomach pains caused by appendicitis are constant, and worsen over time. Other conditions that may cause lower stomach pains are mostly intestinal. Intestinal flu's are common, and although the stomach pain may seem slightly bad, it will pass in time. Of course, for girls one of the most common conditions to produce lower stomach pains is menstrual cramping.

Severe Stomach Pains: Is There Cause For Worry?In most cases, how severe the stomach pains are has no bearing on how severe the condition behind it is. Some very mild conditions have been known to produce extremely severe stomach pains as a symptom. Conditions such as gas (which will be discussed later), and cramping of the viral gastroenteritis are harmless and yet can produce severe stomach pains while on the other hand more serious conditions such as appendicitis and cancer of the colon don't produce severe stomach pains until much later. In a child however it is natural for parents to worry about the slightest stomach pain, and so the safest advice is to wait a day or so and if the stomach pain does not abate, to visit a doctor.

What is Gas and How Does It Cause Lower Stomach Pains?Gas is one of the most common causes of stomach pains, especially in a child, or baby. Simply put, gas is actually bubbles of gas moving through the intestines and causing discomfiture as it goes along. It is not life threatening is any way, and should pass out naturally over time. There are many ways that such bubbles could enter the gastrointestinal tract, the most common being that they are gulped down as a child cries. While the stomach pains they produce may be extremely uncomfortable, it is nothing to worry about.