Pain in upper left abdomen

Upper left abdominal pain occurs to the left of the line drawn from the left nipple to the level of the umbilicus or a belly button. Many vital parts of our body such as the spleen, tail end of the pancreas, some parts of the bowls, part of the stomach, left kidney and left lower ribs, as well as the muscles and skin over these organs, are located in this side of the abdomen.

Reasons for the left abdominal pain therefore may include abdominal aortic aneurysm, bowel cancer, food poisoning, gastric volvulus, Henoc-Schonlein-purpura, kidney stones, kidney infection, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, transverse volvulus and trapped wind.

First we shall start with aortic aneurysm. This condition can occur when the aorta that carries blood away from the heart starts to leak, and it is followed by the pain in the stomach. The person with such health condition may collapse, become pale and it is not unusual that their blood pressure drops.Besides the upper left abdominal pain, other symptoms which indicate the existence of the bowel cancer are weight loss, change in bowel habit, constipation, celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. It is recommended to visit a doctor if any of these symptoms appear.In cases of food poisoning, there is also the upper left abdominal pain and it is usually followed by vomiting.

Gastric Volvulus is a very rare health condition when the stomach is actually twisting upon itself. There are two types of this disease.

Henoch-Schönlein-purpura is also a very rare disease. It occurs more with boys than girls, and other symptoms of this disease include purple spots on the skin, and joint and kidney problems.

Kidney stones can cause upper left abdominal pain if a stone is located on the upper part of the left ureter. In this case, the pain can be so sever that it can actually awake people from their sleep.

Kidney Infection or Pyelonephritis is another disease that can cause upper left abdominal pain. It can be diagnosed easily and the pain differs from the pain which is caused by kidney stones.

Pancreatitis is usually triggered by alcohol ingestion a couple of days earlier. The pain begins with the pain in the upper central abdomen .Besides the upper left abdominal pain, the pancreatic cancer is usually followed by weight loss, jaundice, change in the bowel habit, pale stool, and lack of appetite.

Trapped wind often results in the pain of the left upper abdomen.The pain is relieved by passing wind from the anus.

Other diseases which include upper left abdominal pain are infections of the spleen, pneumonia, malaria infection and musculosceletal pain.