Left Side Abdominal Pain

The abdomen is an area of the body that houses the stomach, liver, appendix, and some other important organs. It has the ribs on the top and the pelvis at the bottom. Abdominal pain is a common occurrence and almost every individual suffers form it once in their lifetime. However, recurrent or acute abdominal pain should not be taken lightly and immediate medical attention should be sought. Left side abdominal pain can occur due to a number of reasons. It could be triggered due to injury to the organs like the spleen, stomach, blood vessels, and nerves on the left side of the abdomen, or the left component of paired organs like the kidney, ureters, adrenal gland, ovary etc. Alternatively, left side abdominal pain could also indicate some serious disease or infection.

Left Side Abdominal Pain and Colon Cancer

Pain in the left side of the abdomen, specially in older people, send many into panic. Could the pain indicate colon cancer? Persistent pain in the abdomen may or may not be a symptom of colon cancer. Nevertheless, abdominal pain on left side of body for more than a week should definitely be referred to a doctor. In case one is suffering from colon cancer, abdominal pain may be accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:

• A change in the bowel movements that continues for 4 days or more for no apparent reason.
• Blood while passing stools.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Loss of appetite.
• Stomach cramps.
• Feeling of tiredness.

Colon cancer can be easily treated if it is detected in the early stages. However, the problem is that the early signs of colon cancer are not prominent, and people generally associate them with stress and anxiety.

Other Causes of Left Side Abdominal Pain

Gastritis: This refers to several conditions that may arise due to inflammation of the stomach lining. Besides abdominal discomfort, symptoms of gastritis include nausea, vomiting and bloating.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Abdominal pain in the left side can be caused due to irritable bowel syndrome. This syndrome refers to the functional disorder caused when the bowels do not work properly. The symptoms include bloating, abdominal cramps, alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation.

Diverticulitis: Pain in the left side of the abdomen could be caused due to inflammation of the diverticula (small pouches along the wall of the intestines). This condition is known as diverticulitis.

Ectopic Pregnancy: Once an egg is fertilized, it grows inside the uterus of the mother. However, in certain conditions, the embryo develops outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. Ectopic pregnancy could be one of the reasons for abdominal pain in early pregnancy.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Pain in the left side of the abdomen in a woman could be caused due to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This disease refers to the inflammation of the uterus, ovary and/or the fallopian tube on the left side of the body.

Ulcerative Colitis: This condition refers to formation of ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon. The ulcers often lead to bleeding that is manifested as blood in the stool. Other symptoms of ulcerative colitis include diarrhea along with abdominal pain.

Ovarian Cyst: Ovarian cyst could be yet another cause of left side abdominal pain in women. This is caused when a cyst, which is a fluid filled sac, is formed in the left ovary of a woman.

Beside all these medical reasons, left side abdominal pain may be caused due to injury or an abdominal muscle strain due to strenuous activity like heavy exercise or lifting up heavy objects. While conditions like gastritis or irritable bowel syndrome are not life-threatening, ectopic pregnancy or colon cancer surely requires immediate medical attention. It is always advisable to avoid self-diagnosis and get proper treatment done for the abdominal pain in the left side of the body.