What can hide behind an abdominal pain? Dr. Andrei Silaghi, MedLife: “Emergency medicine is full of surprises”

An abdominal pain does not always mean a digestive problem. In the hot season, the main suspicion in the face of digestive symptoms is food poisoning, but the causes can be much more varied and sometimes surprising – from lung or heart disease to tumors. In the guard room, doctors are accustomed to facing such situations and have the necessary investigations to elucidate each case. Dr. Andrei Silaghidoctor at the guard room a MedLife Medical Park Hospitalhe explained to us what conditions he sees most often during the summer, when it is the right time to introduce ourselves to the emergency- the guard room being opened 24 hours a day- and how can a trivial symptom hide a serious illness.

Summer brings, first of all, a large number of patients with digestive problems, especially with food poisoning. The tables taken on the run, fast food preparations, foods kept at inappropriate temperatures and lack of strict hygienic conditions are factors that favor the occurrence of these infections. Symptoms can be intense: abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever and, in more severe cases, an altered general condition. The most common complication is dehydration, associated with the loss of electrolytes, which can become dangerous in the elderly or those who are undergoing antihypertensive treatment. “In the context of massive liquid losses, blood pressure can decrease rapidly, and the risks increase,” the doctor Andrei Silaghi draws attention.

Although many initially try to treat themselves at home, there are situations in which the presentation at the guard room should not be postponed. The persistence of symptoms more than a day, the appearance of blood in the chair or the installation of muscle weakness and dizziness are alarm signals. In addition, people with chronic diseases, children and the elderly can dehydrate much faster, which requires rapid medical intervention.

Correct, essential summer hydration

Dr. Silaghi also draws attention to the importance of correct rehydration on hot days, even when there is no digestive problem. If the water is no longer sufficient to combat the thirst and the sensation of weakness after prolonged exposure, the rehydration solutions with electrolytes can be of great help.

Cases with surprising diagnosis

What does the profession of doctor in the guard room so provocative is that the addressability is very varied, and the symptoms do not always send directly to the cause. Dr. Silaghi remembers patients who showed up at the guard room with abdominal pain, and the investigations showed that they were actually pneumonia. “When the abdominal pain is located immediately under the ribs, it may be an inflammatory process that has caught the pleura and, automatically, although the patient accuses belly pain, the cause of the symptoms proves to be pneumonia. Some do not cough. There are rare cases, but we meet them in our practice,” explains the doctor.

According to Dr. Silaghi, abdominal pain also requires a cardiological investigation of the patient in certain situations, because the heart attack can sometimes manifest through digestive symptoms.

There were also situations where, starting from joint pain, autoimmune diseases such as Behcet or lupus disease, or tumors accidentally detected during investigations for abdominal symptoms were discovered. “Medicine in general and especially emergency medicine is full of surprises,” says the doctor, recalling that sometimes the difference between a trivial diagnosis and a serious one is in an additional investigation done on time. The specialist's message is that abdominal pain should not be ignored, especially when intense, persistent or occurring with other worrying symptoms. Behind them can hide serious conditions, sometimes unrelated to the digestive system. The right time and investigations can make the difference between an unpleasant episode and a major complication.

Increased number of biliary colic during vacation period

The hot season brings other reasons to present at the emergency, such as the ear infections caused by the pool water or the trauma from recreational activities. In such cases, the doctors in the guard room stabilize the patient and guide him to the necessary specialty, when needed further investigations or surgery.

Dr. Silaghi noted that the number of cases of biliary colic presented in the guard room is higher during the summer holidays, similar to the incidence of the cold season. “Eating is richer in fats, often sprinkled with alcohol. Patients come with severe pain at the top right of the abdomen, nausea and vomiting. In such cases, doctors do abdominal ultrasound, and if there is suspicion of complications, it recommends computerized tomography and surgical consultation. MedLife Medical Park we have 24 -hour surgery guard. In easier cases, the treatment is drug, and the patient receives detailed medical infusions and recommendations, ”says Dr. Silaghi.

When we need to go to the guard room

In order not to crowd the hospital guard rooms, it is good to know the situations when it is really necessary to go to the doctor. Difficulties of breathing, intense chest pain, loss of consciousness, massive bleeding and severe allergic reactions are reasons that require immediate intervention. In contrast, the mild symptoms, which do not worsen, can be investigated in a scheduled consultation.

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