What is the cause of pain above the belly button

Many people are busy with their work every day, so some discomfort symptoms of the body are ignored. For example, if there is pain above the belly button, no one knows what is going on and usually waits for the pain to go away naturally. Or they will wait until the pain becomes more severe before going to the hospital for treatment. This gives many diseases an opportunity to take advantage and hides huge health risks. So, what does pain above the navel cause?

What causes pain above belly button?

In fact, there are many reasons for pain above the belly button. It may be due to problems with the stomach or gallbladder. Let’s take a look at the specific reasons.

Stomach pain

Gastric diseases include ulcer disease, chronic gastritis, gastric cancer, gastric mucosal prolapse, etc.

These diseases can all cause pain above the navel, but the pain characteristics of various diseases are different. The pain of ulcer disease is related to diet. Gastric ulcer usually starts to hurt half an hour after a meal. If severe knife-like pain suddenly occurs after a meal, you should be alert to the possibility of gastric perforation.

Nowadays, many people have unhealthy stomachs due to long-term irregular diet, so pain above the navel is very common. However, they do not regulate their stomach health in time, causing the pain to become more and more severe.

Abdominal pain caused by gastroenteritis

If you have an upset stomach, such as food poisoning, and then have stomach cramps a few hours after a meal, followed by nausea and vomiting, it is called gastroenteritis. Some people also have diarrhea after the stomach pain, which does not stop, which is called small intestinal colitis.

The former mainly affects the stomach, while the latter affects the large intestine. Both are caused by toxins produced by rotten food or bacteria, which stimulate inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Except for a few who need to go to the hospital for intravenous drip, they will usually recover within a few days.

Liver disease

Acute and chronic hepatitis often do not cause upper abdominal pain. Some patients may experience dull pain or bloating in the upper abdomen or right upper abdomen after fatigue, which may improve after rest.

The upper abdominal pain caused by liver cancer is mostly persistent upper abdominal pain or right upper abdominal pain. As the disease progresses, the pain will become more and more severe and may even become unbearable.

Gallbladder disease

Patients with cholecystitis and gallstones are usually induced after eating greasy food. It is often paroxysmal colic in the right upper abdomen and epigastric region, often radiating to the right shoulder and right back, and is often accompanied by chills, fever, vomiting, etc.

Pancreatic diseases

Acute pancreatitis often causes persistent severe pain in the upper and middle abdomen after overeating, and the stomach and intestines radiate to the left waist and back in a band-like pain.

The pain of pancreatic cancer is similar to that of pancreatitis. The pain is aggravated when the abdomen is in the supine position. There are also obvious symptoms such as anorexia, weight loss, and sometimes diarrhea.

Chest disease

The pain caused by angina pectoris and myocardial infarction is mostly pain behind the sternum or in the precordial area, but some patients may experience pain in the epigastric area, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Therefore, elderly patients with upper abdominal pain above the navel should undergo an electrocardiogram.

The main symptoms of pneumonia patients are chest pain, cough, and fever, but the inflammation of the lower lobes of the two lungs can stimulate the diaphragmatic pleura and radiate pain to the left or right upper abdomen, which should also attract attention.