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Pain in the left side of the abdomen
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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The abdomen, unlike the spleen, heart or liver, is not an independent organ - it is a receptacle for a variety of structures, tissues, other organs, etc. It is easy to guess - pain in the left side of the abdomen, as well as in other parts of it, can be provoked by one of the many components located in the abdomen.
A person should be alerted by a sudden, piercing pain in the abdominal area. The fact is that most organs in the womb are hollow and can cause pain only in the case of excessive filling, blockage or rupture. In this case, human life is in serious danger.
Diseases that cause pain in the left side of the abdomen
The abdomen is divided into four segments, or quadrants - the right upper segment, the right lower segment, the left lower segment, and the left upper segment. By determining which organs are in which quadrant, you can roughly understand which organ is causing the pain.
Pain in the left side of the abdomen (upper) may occur as a result of the development of some disease in organs such as:
- Stomach. Any irritants to the gastric mucosa can easily provoke inflammation of this organ (simply gastritis) or functional dyspepsia, and they, in turn, cause pain. The patient is characterized by vomiting, nausea, and the pain in the abdomen itself is pulling or aching. Also, pain can be caused by cancer or stomach ulcers.
- A diaphragmatic hernia is the next source of pain in the left side of the abdomen. There is a through hole in the diaphragm that serves as a conduit for the esophagus to the stomach. The size of this hole is controlled by the muscles. When the muscles begin to weaken and can no longer hold the size of the hole, the size begins to increase. The upper part of the stomach slips through the opened passage from the abdominal cavity to the chest. This factor is called a "diaphragmatic hernia". Acidic gastric juice that ends up in the wrong place causes very unpleasant and painful sensations. Most often, this disease occurs in older people.
- The pancreas, which passes through the upper part of the stomach and for some reason becomes inflamed, can also provoke pain in the left side of the abdomen, in the middle of the abdomen or on the right side. Pancreatic inflammation can be caused by cancer of the gland, various toxins and other diseases. First of all, the pain that has arisen should alert people prone to pancreatic disease. The pain during inflammation of the pancreas is encircling, coming from the inside, very sharp and abrupt. It can be accompanied by such unpleasant factors as nausea, vomiting, high body temperature. The pain can radiate to the back. People who abuse cigarettes, alcohol, take steroids or diuretic hormones, suffer from diabetes and other diseases should also be on the alert.
If pain occurs in the left side of the abdomen (lower), it may be the result of all conditions that cause pain in this part of the body (rule out appendicitis).
[ What to do if you have pain in the left side of your abdomen?
A sharp pain in the left side of the abdomen that lasts more than half an hour is a reason to immediately call an ambulance or go to a medical center yourself for an examination and to determine the source of the pain.
In no case should you diagnose yourself or self-medicate - this can lead to quite sad and irreversible consequences, because the source of pain can be, for example, a burst stomach, which requires urgent surgical intervention. Any means found in the home medicine cabinet will be powerless here.