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.