What kinds of illness can cause pain in the right side of your abdomen?

Pain in the right side of the abdomen is further divided into the right upper quadrant and the right lower quadrant because the causes may be quite different.

Right upper quadrant pain

Typically, pain in the right upper quadrant may be caused by disease of the organs located in that area: gallbladder, liver, lungs, or kidneys.

Diseases of the gallbladder and liver

Diseases of the liver and galbladder include things such as cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, hepatitis, liver abscess and liver tumors.

Lung disease

Diseases such as pneumonia and pneumothorax can cause right upper quadrant pain.

Kidney disease

Diseases such as ureteral stones, pyelonephritis, and renal infarction occurring in the right kidney can lead to pain in the upper right flank.

Right lower quadrant pain

The lower right side of the abdomen includes the appendix, large intestine, reproductive organs and bladder.

Diseases of the appendix and large intestine

Diseases such as diverticulitis, enteritis, and appendicitis may lead to right lower quadrant pain.

Bladder disease

You may feel pain around the lower right side of your flank when a urinary stone is near the bladder or you have a urinary tract infection.

Ovarian disease

When an ovarian tumor or ovarian bleeding occurs in the right ovary, the right lower quadrant may become painful.

Both upper and right lower quadrant pain

Often times the pain is not so clearly split between upper and lower right abdominal pain. In such cases, we often think about diseases that involve organs of the entire abdomen like the stomach, small and large intestines and the blood vessels.

Diseases of the stomach and duodenum

There are several conditions that lead to inflammation and even ulcers in the stomach and intestines. The pain may be in the right upper and lower quadrant.

Diseases of the aorta

Diseases such as aortic dissection, aortic rupture and inflammation of the aorta may lead to pain in the right side of the abdomen.

Others: Skin, Muscles and Bone

Diseases of skin like shingles, muscles aches, and bone pain may also lead to pain in the right upper and lower abdomen. If you're experiencing abdominal pain and want to better understand what might be causing it, try our free AI symptom checker to get personalized insights based on your symptoms.