Definition
According to the anatomical structure involved, intestinal, renal, hepato-biliary, appendicular, pancreatic, ovarian, gastric colic are therefore distinguished.
Causes
When it comes to colic, the multiple causes of origin are traced back to insults of an obstructive or inflammatory nature.
- The first case includes biliary and renal colic, in which a stone prevents, respectively, the normal outflow of bile or urine; similar speech for intestinal obstructions, where the distension of the viscera stimulates the nerve fibers of the peritoneum, often causing pain violent.
For further information: Gallbladder stones and kidney stones
- Colic of an inflammatory nature are typically sustained by colitis, which can have a psychic origin (excess of stress, anxiety, etc.) or dietary (eating disorders, intolerances, aerophagia).
For further information: Irritable Colon Syndrome and Colitis
Other Causes
- Dietary factors and in particular an "intolerance towards breast milk or formula, are also called into question in the appearance of another type of colic, this time typically neonatal. Shortly after finishing the feeding, the infant manifests his pain with a intense and desperate crying, accompanied by bending movements of the legs on the abdomen and intense meteorism (it is therefore known as gas colic). Food intolerances, such as lactose, are responsible for abdominal colic even in adulthood.
For further information: Newborn colic
- The disorder can also have an infectious nature, as occurs in the presence of viral gastroenteritis or bacterial toxins of food origin; in both cases the pain is often accompanied by fever and diarrhea.
For further information: Colic - Causes and Symptoms
Symptoms
Pain, generally accompanied by short periods of rest, can also be associated with nausea and vomiting, and generally regresses spontaneously.
As anticipated, the painful symptomatology varies its location in relation to the type of colic that generated it.
- In biliary colic a very intense pain is perceived around the upper region of the abdomen (in the center or on the right); the pain can last several hours, generally has a constant intensity and typically tends to migrate towards the back, localizing in the region included between the vertebral column and the lower corner of the right shoulder blade. Often, this painful symptomatology is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, more rarely with yellowish discoloration of the skin and ocular sclerae (jaundice).
- In renal colic, episodic pain is localized electively in the lumbar region corresponding to the affected kidney and, unlike what has been seen for biliary colic, often radiates downwards along the ureteral course, extending to the groin, to the root of the thigh and the testicle or vulva. In this case the onset of colic, which however recognizes a certain individual predisposition, is facilitated by an insufficient supply of water, while the onset of biliary colic is favored by the intake of a meal particularly rich in fats (eg eggs).
- Finally, in abdominal colic of obstructive origin, the pain is localized or diffused in an unusual location (generally in the lower abdomen).
For further information: Renal Colic Symptoms
When to see your doctor
Beyond those listed, the causes of acute abdominal pain are numerous and therefore require careful evaluation, especially when accompanied by symptoms such as fever, abdominal wall stiffness, intense sweating, hypotension, tachycardia and shortness of breath. In all these cases it is It is important to seek prompt medical attention.
Treatment
The treatment of colic is first of all symptomatic and as such based on the alleviation of pain and associated symptoms. In general, the doctor recommends a pain reliever therapy (NSAID), possibly combined with antispasmodics, antiemetics and antibiotics; rest and dietary interventions - behavioral measures complete the picture of non-specific therapeutic measures generally adopted in the presence of colic.
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