Lower abdominal pain and diarrhea: what locations and patterns help narrow the cause?

Lower abdominal pain and diarrhea are common complaints that can arise from many different causes. Paying attention to where the pain is located and how the diarrhea behaves (onset, duration, stool characteristics) can help you—and your doctor—narrow down the potential diagnoses. Below is a practical guide to patterns and locations that matter, drawing on current gastroenterology insights and related considerations.

Why Location Matters

The lower abdomen is often divided into four regions. Pain in each area, paired with diarrhea patterns, points toward different conditions:

1. Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)

   • Pain just above the right groin
   • Diarrhea may be mild or chronic
   • Think:
     • Crohn’s disease (terminal ileitis)—often chronic, with weight loss or anemia
     • Yersinia enterocolitica infection—acute pain, fever, sometimes bloody stools
     • Appendicitis (early)—diarrhea isn’t classic but may occur
     • Ovarian cyst or torsion in women

2. Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

   • Pain above the left groin
   • Diarrhea may be bloody or mucus-filled
   • Think:
     • Diverticulitis—often fever, LLQ tenderness, constipation alternating with diarrhea
     • Ulcerative colitis—bloody diarrhea, urgency, tenesmus (feeling of incomplete emptying)
     • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—cramping relieved by stooling, mucus-only in stool

3. Suprapubic (Pelvic)

   • Central lower abdomen above the pubic bone
   • Diarrhea may coincide with urinary symptoms
   • Think:
     • Cystitis or urinary tract infection—pain may be mistaken for bowel pain; diarrhea can occur from antibiotics
     • Pelvic inflammatory disease—in women, may have discharge, fever
     • Proctitis—urgency, tenesmus, sometimes mucus or blood

4. Periumbilical (Around the Belly Button)

   • Diffuse pain early in some conditions
   • Diarrhea can be watery and large-volume
   • Think:
     • Viral or bacterial gastroenteritis—acute onset, fever, vomiting possible
     • Small-bowel Crohn’s disease—crampy pain, weight loss, malabsorption
     • Mesenteric ischemia—“pain out of proportion,” may have bloody stools in severe cases

Patterns of Diarrhea

Not all diarrhea is the same. Key features to note:

• Duration

  • Acute: <2 weeks (infection, food poisoning)
  • Persistent: 2–4 weeks (post-infectious IBS, C. difficile)
  • Chronic: >4 weeks (IBD, malabsorption, medications)

• Volume and Frequency

  • Large-volume, watery stools: often secretory (e.g., laxative use, endocrine tumors)
  • Small-volume, frequent stools with urgency or tenesmus: inflammatory colitis

• Stool Characteristics

  • Bloody or mucus-filled: suggests colitis (ulcerative colitis, infectious, ischemic)
  • Steatorrhea (greasy, foul-smelling): points to malabsorption (celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis)
  • Nocturnal diarrhea: red flag for organic disease (IBD, infection)

• Associated Symptoms

  • Fever, chills: infection, diverticulitis
  • Weight loss, fatigue, anemia: IBD, malabsorption (see Triantafyllou & Gkolfakis, 2015)
  • Tenesmus: proctitis, ulcerative colitis
  • Urgency/incontinence: pelvic floor dysfunction, colitis

Matching Location + Pattern to Possible Causes

Examples

• A 25-year-old with RLQ cramping for months, loose non-bloody stools, weight loss → evaluate for Crohn’s disease (terminal ileitis).
• A 60-year-old with LLQ pain, fever, constipation alternating with diarrhea → suspect diverticulitis; CT scan often needed.
• A 30-year-old with bloody diarrhea, tenesmus, LLQ cramps → colonoscopy to check for ulcerative colitis.
• A recent antibiotic user with diffuse crampy pain and watery diarrhea (possibly with fever) → consider C. difficile infection.

Chronic Diarrhea and Liver Disease

While most lower abdominal pain and diarrhea originate in the gut, underlying liver disease can play a role:

• Cirrhotic patients may take lactulose for encephalopathy, leading to secretory diarrhea.
• Diarrhea in cirrhosis can worsen hyponatremia, a known predictor of mortality in transplant candidates (Kim & Biggins, 2008).
• Natural history of cirrhosis often involves altered gut permeability and small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth, potentially causing discomfort and diarrhea (D’Amico & Garcia-Tsao, 2006).

If you have known liver disease and new-onset abdominal pain or worsening diarrhea, let your hepatologist know promptly.

When to Get Medical Help

Most mild diarrhea and cramps resolve on their own or with simple measures (hydration, bland diet). However, seek immediate care if you have:

• Severe or worsening pain
• High fever (>101°F/38.3°C)
• Persistent vomiting or signs of dehydration (dizziness, low urine output)
• Bloody or black tarry stools
• Unintentional weight loss (>5% body weight)
• Diarrhea lasting more than 2 weeks or recurring frequently

You might consider a free, online symptom check for lower abdominal pain and diarrhea to help you decide your next steps.

Key Takeaways

• Location of pain (RLQ, LLQ, suprapubic, periumbilical) and diarrhea patterns (duration, stool type, associated symptoms) point toward different diagnoses.
• Acute vs chronic diarrhea guides you toward infection versus inflammatory/malabsorptive causes.
• Bloody or mucus-filled stools, tenesmus and nocturnal symptoms are “red flags” for colitis.
• Patients with cirrhosis have special considerations—lactulose use, hyponatremia risk, bacterial overgrowth.
• Seek prompt medical attention for severe, persistent or worrisome symptoms.

Always discuss any serious or life-threatening symptoms with your doctor right away. If you’re ever uncertain, it’s better to be evaluated than to wait.