epigastric pain ppt

1. Epigastric pain

2. Definition




3. Origin
The cause of epigastric pain may be;
Cardiac
Gastric
Esophageal
Gall bladder
Pancreas

4. Cardiac
Determined by radiating
pain that increases with
exertion.
Heaviness and tightness
is experienced by the
patient.
Associated with
shortness of breath.

5. Gastroesophag
eal
Occurs in response to a spicy
meal.
Spicy food cause irritation of
the gastric mucosa and the
esophageal lining.
Stress also plays a major role
in initiating epigastric pain.
Mostly associated with
heartburn and regurgitation.

6. Gall bladder
Mostly because of the blockade of
common bile duct due to gall stones.
Characterized by pain in right
hypochondrium that radiates to the
right shoulder.
The pain increases severely after
consuming a fatty meal as the gall
bladder releases bile, but the CBD is
blocked which causes pain in the
epigastrium.

7. Pancreas Characterized by persistent
abdominal pain, that radiates
towards the back.
Occurs mostly because of
acute pancreatitis.
Tenderness to palpation and
fever accompanied by a rapid
pulse are cardinal signs of
pancreatitis.

8. Investigation
s
ECG – to rule out
any condition of a
sclerosed artery.
CBC - to detect
any infection
present in the
body.
LFTs; ALT
Bilirubin
LFTs are used to
detect CBD
obstruction.

9. Investigations
contd.
Serum amylase/
serum lipase – to
detect pancreatitis.
Ultrasound – to
detect gall-stones .

10. Treatment
The treatment of epigastric
pain focuses on treating the
underlying conditions as well
as pain limitation.
Antacids are mostly
prescribed for pain relief.
Alongside, treatments are
initiated for the main
pathology provoking the
symptoms.

11. Thank you