Abdominal pain troubles many people, but few seek a check-up in time because of it. Pain is the first signal that the organs in the abdominal cavity are functioning improperly, so even if you know the cause of the pain, changes to the organs and their function must be assessed in the doctor's office. The location of the pain. To find out which organ's function is impaired, you first need to pinpoint the location of the pain. Although pain is sometimes hard to localise, especially if it's acute, if you can do it the cause of the pain can be determined much faster:

• Middle of the upper abdomen: disorders of the stomach, duodenum and pancreas.
• Upper right abdomen: gallbladder inflammation, urinary tract stones, viral hepatitis, pleurisy.
• Upper left abdomen: damage to the spleen and pancreas.
• Navel area: bowel obstruction, hernia.
• Lower right abdomen: appendicitis, urinary tract stones, groin hernia, ovarian disease.
• Lower left abdomen: ovarian disease, groin hernia, irritable bowel syndrome.

Abdominal pain can be barely perceptible, spasmodic or hard to bear, and can be accompanied by other symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, a build-up of gas. This often affects the patient's emotional state too, bringing on lethargy, apathy and irritability. Even if the pain is slight and doesn't disrupt daily activity, the case is likely not complicated, but it's still worth consulting a doctor. If the pain is strong and lasts longer than a day, or if you notice it intensifying sharply, becoming more frequent, accompanied by fever or diarrhoea, or you notice traces of blood in your stool, then special medical care is needed – don't risk making treatment decisions yourself. For prevention – a precise examination of the organs. One of the most effective ways to clarify the cause of abdominal pain is an ultrasound of the internal organs. This is an ultrasound examination that lets you observe the organs' function, their movement and changes in their structures. Ultrasound is completely harmless, because it uses not radiation but sound waves, so ultrasound can be done even daily to monitor the changes taking place – whether the prescribed treatment is improving or worsening the patient's condition. Ultrasound is also an excellent preventive measure for people of both older and younger age, recommended no less than once a year.