What causes pain in the middle of the stomach?

If the patient feels pain in the middle of the stomach, he should pay attention to it. The pain is mostly related to some gastrointestinal diseases. The most common ones are gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. In addition, chronic gastritis, erosive gastritis, etc. will also have such symptoms. These are all serious stomach diseases and need to be checked in time at the hospital for regular treatment.

What causes pain in the middle of the stomach?

1. Gastric ulcer

The pain of gastric ulcer patients is related to eating. Usually, the stomach will feel bloated and painful immediately after eating, and there will be pain in the upper and middle abdomen after meals, or nausea, vomiting, and food indigestion. The disease may have lasted for a long time. The pain is regular, such as after catching a cold, getting angry, or eating irritating food. Middle-aged and elderly people should think about chronic gastritis, especially chronic atrophic gastritis. If the patient is a woman and the symptoms worsen when she stands or is tired, then gastroptosis should be considered.

2. Duodenal ulcer

Patients with duodenal ulcers often experience stomach pain when they are hungry, and even wake up in pain in the middle of the night. Eating something can relieve the pain, and they often have acid reflux. The pain is rhythmic and located in the right upper abdomen.

3. Chronic gastritis

The pain of chronic gastritis is often irregular, with onset occurring at irregular times. It may be caused by mental stress or may be related to indigestion. Symptoms include fullness after meals or all day long, belching but no acid reflux, poor appetite, gradual weight loss, and slightly pale or gray complexion.

What to do for pain in the middle of the stomach

1. Routine inspection

Observe the symptoms of stomach pain. If accompanied by chest tightness, heartburn, acid vomiting, hiccups, etc., it may be an esophageal disease; if accompanied by pain on an empty stomach, bloating and hunger pain, sour hiccups, or even vomiting blood, it may be a gastric ulcer; based on the duration of the pain, stomach pain half an hour to two hours after a meal may be a gastric ulcer.

2. Gastroscopy and biopsy

Gastroscopy combined with direct biopsy is the main method for diagnosing gastric pain. Superficial gastritis is often most obvious in the gastric antrum and is mostly diffuse. The surface of the gastric mucosa changes into red and white or patterned changes, sometimes with scattered erosions, and often with white or yellowish-white exudate. The mucosa of atrophic gastritis is mostly pale or grayish white, with thinner or flatter wrinkles. Due to the thinning of the gastric mucosa, the submucosal blood vessels can be seen and appear purple-blue. The lesions can be diffuse or mainly in the gastric antrum.

3. Symptoms of early stomach pain

Over the years, symptoms similar to those of ulcer disease or gastritis have been found, including acid reflux, nausea, and anorexia. As the pain worsens, the weight gradually decreases, and there are symptoms such as emaciation and anemia. When you first experience stomach pain, stomach discomfort or digestive tract discomfort, you should go to the hospital in time for examinations such as gastroscopy, barium meal, CT, color ultrasound, exfoliated cells, and fecal occult blood.