Acute Abdominal Pain: General Approach

Synonyms

Abdominal pain; Acute abdomen; Peritonitis

Definition

In the United States, more patients seek emergency care annually for abdominal pain than for any other chief complaint. Abdominal pain accounted for eight million (7%) of the 119 million Emergency Department (ED) visits in 2006 [1]. The differential diagnosis is wide and ranges from benign, self-limited diseases to life-threatening conditions requiring urgent intervention. A patient’s demographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex, race/ethnicity, family history) may influence the incidence and clinical presentation of abdominal disease. Diagnosis may be difficult as various factors may obscure the clinical scenario and lead to a delay in diagnosis or a misdiagnosis. While the cause of abdominal pain may not always be identified, the clinician’s role is to identify life-threatening causes and to narrow the differential diagnosis for further evaluation. Up to 40% of patients may be discharged with a diagnosis of nonspecific...