Gastric colic: its causes and therapies
Colic is always an extremely painful affair for those affected. Often it is an intestinal colic. However, the cramp-like pain can also come from the epigastric region and then usually have different causes.
Table of Contents
- Gastric colic: its causes and therapies
- definition
- Gastric disease as the main cause
- Stomach cramps from gastritis
- Gastritis as an autoimmune disease
- Gastritis due to infections
- Gastritis from chemical substances
- Gastritis as a result of frequent heartburn
- Gastritis as a result of other diseases
- Gastric colic in gastrointestinal infection
- Unhealthy lifestyle is a risk factor
- Stomach ulcers as the cause
- Diseases of other organs as a trigger
- Symptoms of gastric colic
- diagnosis
- Therapy for gastric colic
- Medical therapy
- Home remedies and herbal measures
- Operational measures
- Diseases associated with gastric colic
Home remedies for stomach cramps
Well-proven home remedies to relieve stomach cramps.
Volume 90%
definition
As is well known, the stomach (gaster) in the body is responsible for the pre-digestion of all food. For this purpose, the parietal cells of the gastric mucosa continuously secrete gastric acid . This is significantly exposed
- Hydrochloric acid,
- Mucus,
- protein
- and the digestive enzyme pepsin
together. The so-called intrinsic factor (IF) is also contained in the stomach acid . A glycoprotein to absorb the vitamin B12 compound cobalamin, which is required in the body for cell division, blood formation and the maintenance of nerve functions.
In the case of gastric colic, the muscles of the hollow organ cramp, which causes severe pain. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com)
Behind the gastric acid-producing gastric mucosa, which lines the inside of the stomach, is the actual stomach wall. It consists mainly of muscle tissue, but is also permeated by numerous blood vessels and nerves. The latter have the function of transmitting contraction impulses to the stomach muscles and thus generating the digestive gastric peristalsis in the form of muscle contractions. The so-called gatekeeper (pylorus) – a ring-shaped sphincter at the end of the stomach that controls the passage of chyme that has been pre-digested in the stomach – into the duodenum (duodendum) serves as the essential transport mechanism for forwarding the chyme into the intestine .
Gastric colic occurs when the nerves in the stomach are irritated by corresponding disturbances. The result is nervous interfering impulses that provoke the peristalsis of the stomach muscles to cramps. It should be mentioned that colic generally describes cramp-like pain in the digestive tract. They are caused by persistent irritation of the nerves in the gastrointestinal tract, and rarely also in the area of the uterus, seminal or urinary tract, and usually indicate a serious illness.
A diagnosis is often made more difficult by misinterpretations regarding the exact origin of the pain. For example, intestinal cramps can radiate into the stomach and vice versa. The causes of intestinal and gastric colic, as well as any accompanying symptoms, are often identical and therefore cannot be clearly differentiated from one another. However, a few basic differentiations can still be made.
In contrast to intestinal colic, for example, genuine gastric colic causes central pain cramps in the upper instead of the lower abdomen. The pain is clearly pronounced on this side of the body due to the position of the stomach in the left upper half of the abdomen. Accompanying symptoms such as heartburn, which commonly indicate an impaired drainage of gastric acid, also speak for gastric colic. Furthermore, the colicky pain in the stomach area often becomes noticeable immediately after eating, as the pulp arrives here first after its way through the esophagus and can therefore quickly trigger acute irritation of the stomach’s own nerves.
Gastric disease as the main cause
It is obvious that gastric colic most often results from diseases of the stomach. As part of the digestive process, this is also exposed to numerous irritating factors that can lead to illness if the health status is poor. The stomach acid itself, the digestive enzymes of which are mainly used to digest protein in the stomach, can be problematic here. Although their high acid content actually serves the natural decomposition of the food pulp, the aggressive acid does not stop at body tissue when it comes into contact with it.
If the stomach lacks the protective layer of mucous membrane that lines the inside of the stomach wall, the stomach acid can attack the muscle and nerve tissue of the stomach unhindered. This is the case, for example, when infections or corrosive substances lead to inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which decomposes more and more as the disease progresses, thus clearing the way for gastric acid to reach the stomach wall.
A typical consequence of gastric mucosal inflammation is cramp-like pain in the form of gastric colic. (Image: chombosan / fotolia.com)
Stomach cramps from gastritis
A classic inflammatory process of this kind occurs, for example, in gastritis . The gastric mucosal inflammation occurs when the protective acid mantle of the stomach is damaged or when there is too much stomach acid due to certain influences. As a result, the gastric acid comes into direct contact with the cells of the gastric mucosa and attacks them.
On the one hand, gastric mucosal inflammations are divided into acute and chronic gastritis according to their course. On the other hand, a distinction is made in medicine according to the various causative factors. Here is a brief overview:
Gastritis as an autoimmune disease
Autoimmune gastritis occurs when the own immune system attacks the cells of the stomach lining and destroys them.
Gastritis due to infections
The bacterial pathogen Helicobacter pylori is the most common cause of gastritis with a share of 85%. The bacteria cause an increased production of gastric acid and also cause inflammatory gastric ulcers. In addition, Helicobacter pylori is suspected to be involved in the development of stomach cancer.
In addition to Helicobacter pylori, other bacterial pathogens, such as staphylococci, enterococci, salmonella, campylobacter, yersinia or clostridia, are among those infectious agents that can cause gastric or gastric mucosal inflammation. Here it is often the toxic excretion products of the bacteria that set the inflammation in motion. The pathogens usually enter the digestive tract through contaminated food.
Gastritis from chemical substances
Apart from bacterial toxins, the fungus, plant, animal and industrial toxins can also cause gastritis. Even medicinal ingredients cannot be ruled out as a cause. What these chemical substances have in common is that they have a very aggressive effect on the gastric mucosa. In the area of mushroom toxins, amatocin, gyromitrin, muscarin and orellanin should be mentioned in particular. In the case of plant poisons, it is often atropine and solanine. The latter is contained in the parts of the plants of the nightshade family, which also include conventional crops such as potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. So if you don’t pay attention when cooking and also serve the greenery of these vegetables, you could face stomach cramps as a result of poisoning.
In the case of seafood, on the other hand, the toxins of mussels and other shellfish (e.g. ciguatoxin, sacitoxine and tetrodotoxin) are known to trigger cramps. Substances that irritate the mucous membranes, such as alcohol and certain drugs (especially antibiotics and pain medication) should not be underestimated. Extreme convulsive reactions also trigger industrial pollutants, acids, alkalis and metal compounds such as antimony and zinc.
In the long run, heartburn can irritate the gastric mucous membrane, possibly leading to inflammation that can cause gastric colic. (Image: Adiano / fotolia.com)
Gastritis as a result of frequent heartburn
Chronic heartburn is also referred to as acid reflux or reflux esophagitis in medicine. Parts of the stomach’s contents flow back continuously into the esophagus due to malfunction of the stomach muscles or the diaphragm. Logically, there are also larger amounts of added gastric acid in the stomach contents that are pushed open. The corrosive acid causes severe damage to the upper gastric mucosa in chronic heartburn, which can trigger an inflammation that promotes colic.
Gastritis as a result of other diseases
This includes gastric mucosal inflammation that is caused by another underlying disease. For example, inflammation due to Crohn’s disease is conceivable . Chronic intestinal inflammation sometimes spreads to the stomach, which then causes severe intestinal and gastric colic alike.
Gastric colic in gastrointestinal infection
Similar to gastritis and its infectious forms, most other inflammatory infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract usually begin with gastric colic. In addition, there are symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, possibly also infection-related fever. Most frequently, such infections in the form of gastrointestinal flu are caused by highly contagious rotoviruses or noroviruses. However, pathogens such as salmonella, cholerabacteria, chlostridia and certain strains of the E. coli bacterium can also cause gastrointestinal flu.
The scenario of food poisoning should be mentioned again in this context. Either the food concerned already contains the poison when consumed (e.g. when consuming poisonous mushrooms or plants) or the consumption of spoiled food leads to the secretion of toxic excretions in the digestive tract by infectious agents.
Unhealthy lifestyle is a risk factor
It is no secret that the digestive tract is the first to react to an unhealthy lifestyle. Diet also plays a decisive role in this. In this context, diet-related gastric colic usually results from the choice of foods that are too spicy, too fatty, too lush or too acidic. After consuming these foods, the excessive stretching of the stomach wall can lead to nerve irritation and thus to colicky stomach pain.
Acidic and alcoholic drinks attack the stomach and can significantly increase the risk of colic. (Image: stockphoto-graf / fotolia.com)
In addition, the foods mentioned also promote an increased production of stomach acid. There is an imbalance between gastric acid and gastric protection, which attacks the gastric mucosa if it occurs repeatedly. Some nutritional examples for unfavorable foods are:
- Coffee,
- Cola,
- Juices,
- Citrus fruits,
- Chili,
- alcoholic drinks.
Eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia and obesity should also be mentioned with a view to eating habits and gastric colic . The constant suppression of the feeling of hunger puts a strain on the gastric mucosa, as does constant vomiting or prolonged stretching of the stomach wall through very large meals. In the field of intoxicants and addictive substances, chemical drugs, alcohol and nicotine occasionally lead to a compensatory overproduction of gastric acid and to a reduction in the strength of the sphincter muscles at the stomach entrance. A delay in the digestive processes is also conceivable in this regard.
In addition to eating habits and substance abuse, psychosomatic factors must also be mentioned as a recurring cause of gastric colic. Doctors have long known that long-term stress , grief and worry can have a negative effect on the body and especially the gastrointestinal tract. There is even the phenomenon of stress ulcers– an ulcer of the gastric mucosa, which arises specifically in the course of massive stress, for example after traffic accidents, major operations or strokes of fate. The exact mechanism has not yet been conclusively investigated, but the occurrence of the ulcers is explained as a consequence of stress reactions of the autonomic nervous system. This restricts the blood flow to the gastrointestinal organs and initially slows down the entire digestive process, before ulcers may develop.
Stomach ulcers as the cause
When it comes to abnormal tissue growth in the digestive tract, many initially think of colon cancer. However, various forms of growths can also appear in the stomach. The best known is the gastric ulcer (ulcus ventriculi). The disease usually leads to benign ulcers of the stomach lining. Similar to inflammation, these gradually break down the mucous membrane, which means that the stomach acid, which is actually intended for digestion, increasingly attacks the stomach walls.
The causes of gastric ulcer are largely the same as those of stomach inflammation. However, a familial accumulation can also be determined for the ulcer in particular, which makes genetic factors relevant. In addition, there appears to be a link between gastric ulcers and psychological factors such as stress, depression, and emotional trauma.
In addition to gastric colic, stomach ulcers have a number of other symptoms. For example, they can bleed, causing life-threatening blood poisoning. In addition, stomach ulcers do not heal without scars. Corresponding scars always harbor the risk of adhesions and perforations. In addition, patients with gastric ulcer also have an increased tendency to malignant abnormalities in the form of gastric cancer. It is the worst cause of stomach cramps and, in addition to gastric ulcer, can also result from persistent stomach inflammation.
Diseases of other organs as a trigger
Some conditions that lead to gastric colic are not due to stomach-based health problems, but rather originate in other organs. Diseases of the digestive tract, such as the intestine, liver, gall bladder and pancreas, are very obvious. But a heart attack can also lead to stomach problems and otherwise be symptom-free. This is a great danger of heart attacks if they go undetected as a result of the symptoms in the stomach.
Sometimes the cramp-like pain can be traced back to a heart attack, but is not associated with any possible impairment of the heart function by those affected. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com)
Symptoms of gastric colic
The symptoms of gastric colic are very dependent on the underlying cause. In addition to the characteristic, left-sided cramping pain in the upper abdomen, general digestive problems such as constipation, nausea or bloating are relatively common. If the gastric mucosa has already been severely attacked and the stomach wall has been severely affected, more severe accompanying symptoms such as blood in the stool can occur. In the course of an infection, symptoms such as a general feeling of illness and fever cannot be excluded. Overall, the following symptoms must be expected in gastric colic:
- left-sided, cramping upper abdominal pain,
burning pain or heartburn, - Constipationor diarrhea ,
- Bloating,
- Nausea and vomiting,
- Loss of appetite,
- bloody stool,
- Anxiety,
- Fever,
Important : Symptomatic gastric colic is often confused with radiation pain that actually originates from other organs. Apart from intestinal colic, which often leads to misinterpretations due to its proximity to the stomach, radiating abdominal pain should also be mentioned here. Especially in the course of endometriosis, cramp-like pain occurs during menstruation, which can radiate into the stomach. Furthermore, the pain symptoms of an impending heart attack are often confused with gastric colic. If the pain in this context also radiates to the stomach and into the left arm, this is a clear alarm signal. So please call an emergency doctor here immediately!
A gastroscopy can provide information about the causes of gastric colic. (Image: Stockwerk-Fotodesign / fotolia.com)
diagnosis
Gastric colic can be identified by patients quite reliably by corresponding, interval-like cramping pain. On the other hand, finding the cause of the colic often requires a little more effort. You shouldn’t waste time going to the doctor here, because the list of serious underlying diseases is long. A doctor will first carry out a careful anamnesis (patient survey), within which existing health problems and everyday habits are asked.
Afterwards, laboratory tests of blood and stool samples are important in order to identify possible pathogens and signs of inflammation. Damage and degeneration of the gastric mucosa as well as the stomach walls are also revealed by means of imaging procedures, which in addition to ultrasound examinations primarily include gastroscopy.
Therapy for gastric colic
Timely treatment is very important for gastric colic, because the cramps often indicate an advanced stage of the disease. In the worst case, complications such as blood poisoning as part of an infection, metastases from stomach cancer or functional disorders of adjacent organs (e.g. impaired bowel function or cardiac arrhythmia) are not long in coming. Depending on the triggering factors, the following treatment measures are available:
Medical therapy
Since many gastric colic is caused by an imbalance between gastric acid and the protective function of the gastric mucosa, or because the said imbalance at least aggravates the symptoms, the use of medicinal acid inhibitors such as maaloxane, pantozole or omeprazole is usually part of the standard procedure in therapy. This is intended to relieve the gastric mucous membrane and thus a faster healing of the mucous membrane damage, which ultimately also alleviates the nervous cramping stimuli.
If an infection with Helicobacter pylori causes gastric colic, a special antibiotic therapy is used against the pathogen. (Image: Artemida-psy / fotolia.com)
Gastrointestinal flu and most food poisoning can only be treated symptomatically by administering special medication (e.g. antibiotic agents) and infusion solutions to prevent fluid loss in the presence of diarrhea. Infections caused by Helicobacter bacteria are also treated with a triple therapy consisting of 2 antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor. The therapy of mushroom poisoning and other plant poisoning is based on the corresponding poison. In this case, medical advice must be obtained and consultation with the poison control center.
Home remedies and herbal measures
Often a change in diet and lifestyle brings about noticeable improvements in the symptoms of gastric colic. A review of the lifestyle with regard to external stress factors is definitely important here, because experience has shown that stress affects the gastrointestinal tract quite quickly and worsens existing symptoms. In particular, a consistent avoidance of addictive substances and a reduction in acidic foods also relieve the stomach. But it also depends on the amount of harmful food. A glass of cola for lunch does not have to be categorically avoided here. Continuing to enjoy acidic soft drinks and citrus fruits, on the other hand, is definitely not recommended.
A glass of milk, a tablespoon of dry oatmeal or a piece of dry bread as an acute measure have proven beneficial against increased gastric acid production. In addition, potato juice can be used to neutralize gastric acid due to the mucilage and pectins it contains. In the case of pronounced gastric colic, teas or compresses with extracts of wormwood also help to relieve.
If an infection or food poisoning is the cause of the gastric colic, often only a temporary abstinence from food and subsequent diet to get the stomach calm. It is important to ensure that you have enough fluids, because in the case of infection-related diarrhea there is a risk of dehydration. Still water, unsweetened teas or light broths can be used here. Herbal teas with chamomile and / or fennel also have a calming effect on the gastrointestinal tract. If the stomach gets better over time, the teas can be sweetened with a spoonful of honey. Honey is said to have a positive effect on the gastric mucosa.
It is not uncommon for the cause of gastric colic to be eliminated with the help of surgical intervention. (Image: auremar / fotolia.com)
Operational measures
Operations on the stomach can be considered if severe gastric perforations have occurred or to prevent this life-threatening complication. This is necessary, for example, with gastric ulcers, which always harbor the risk of tumor development. If a malignant tumor is already present, it must of course also be removed in order to prevent metastasis. Depending on how the individual diagnosis is made, chemotherapeutic agents or radiation therapy may be used beforehand to initially reduce the size of the tumor.
Diseases associated with gastric colic
Gastritis , Crohn’s disease, gastrointestinal infection, food poisoning, gastric ulcer, stomach cancer, intestinal, liver and stomach inflammation , general stomach problems , biliary and pancreatic diseases
