Right Side Abdominal Pain: How Serious Is It?

Pain is a warning sign. Yet with right side abdominal pain it is often a confusing one. While a severe, sudden case of lower right abdominal pain is a well-known symptom of appendicitis, in reality, abdominal pain has several causes, from mild to serious. Further, it is sometimes difficult to diagnosis.

Symptoms with right side abdominal pain

Patient provided information helps the doctor diagnose the cause of the right side abdominal pain and, if possible, reduces unnecessary tests.

Symptoms to track along with right side abdominal pain include: fever, appetite changes, pain fluctuation, vomiting, nausea, bloating, changes in bowel habits, relationship to the menstrual cycle, and if the pain is affected by food, pressure or bodily position.

Right side abdominal pain causes and emergencies

Often confounding to both the patient and the doctor is that serious health conditions may cause little to no abdominal discomfort and benign health conditions may induce moderate to a severe right side abdominal pain.

Serious causes of right side abdominal pain are not limited to:

Appendicitis: Lower right side abdominal pain may be present or occur elsewhere in the abdomen. Appendicitis pain is often accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, appetite and bowel changes, yet this is not predictable. Given the life-threatening potential of a ruptured appendix, this potential emergency needs to be ruled out expediently, especially in children.

Hernia complications: Abdominal hernia operations are common even though the hernia itself is not painful. Chiefly, this is due to prevent an emergency known as a strangulated hernia. Depending on the location, this may cause right side abdominal pain. With it the pain steadily increases, the area is painful to the touch and often involves nausea and/or vomiting.

Food poisoning: Most food-borne illness in modern society resolves spontaneously within several hours. Some types of food poisoning, not limited to E.coli, Salmonella and Botulism, require emergency care. Serious health threats include significant dehydration or when neurological, respiratory and/or cardiac symptoms occur along with abdominal pain.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm: Seen more commonly in men with risk factors for heart disease, if a tear occurs in the walls of the abdominal aorta, abdominal pain may be present. Emergency care saves lives and reduces the risk of a ruptured aneurysm.

Women and right side abdominal pain

Ectopic pregnancy: Pregnant women with sudden pain in the abdomen and/or the pelvis should seek medical care immediately. If a pregnancy is unknown, but possible, the doctor should be called for further instructions.

Ovarian Cysts (Ruptured, Other): While many ovarian cysts are not serious, some grow quite large. If ruptured, the life threatening infection known as peritonitis may occur.

The pain of an intact ovarian cyst may be quite severe and in some cases surgical removal is needed. An emergency room doctor may discover the condition though a gynecological consult is often necessary.

Chronic right side abdominal pain

Sometimes in-depth testing from a gastroenterologist provides answers to more complicated cases of right side abdominal pain. Serious illness such as Chron's disease, ulcerative colitis, infectious colitis, and colon cancer may be ruled out. However, often less serious health conditions can explain abdominal pain.

Intermittent lower right side abdominal pain, bloating and bowel changes are a common symptom of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS can be under- or over-diagnosed, however. Women, for example, may have a gynecological disorder such as endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease instead of, or along with, IBS.

Less common, but sometimes overlooked, is Giardia - a parasitic infection that attacks the small intestines. The cramps may involve mild to moderate right side abdominal pain and is accompanied by diarrhea and sometimes fatigue. Proper hand washing prevents many cases and the infection plagues immune suppressed individuals.

Giardia is also seen in higher frequency in children in daycare settings and in outdoor enthusiasts exposed to contaminated water.

Right side abdominal pain from other organs

Less commonly regarded health conditions involving a right side abdominal pain, or referred pain, is not limited to urinary tract infections, disease involving the pancreas, liver, heart or gallbladder, and kidney stones.

What to do about right side abdominal pain

Few individuals wish to visit the doctor for pain they can manage. Yet, clearly, right side abdominal pain has many potential causes. Call the doctor for advice if concerns arise, the condition worsens or does not improve within a couple of days.

For more information on abdominal pain, consult the National Library of Medicine to include when to call 911, or see the associated abdominal health resources.