What Could Be the Cause of Sharp Lower Left Abdominal Pain?

Emergency Medicine, Holy Name Medical Center

Supervised by Tomas Diaz, MD

Sharp pain in the lower left side of your belly might be caused by inflammation in the colon, such as diverticular disease, or less common conditions that affect that area.

Explanation

Sharp pain in the lower left abdomen has several common causes including:

Diverticulitis - inflammation of small pouches in the colon wall
Constipation or bowel obstruction
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Less common but nonetheless important causes include:

Ovarian cysts or other gynecological conditions
Kidney stones or urinary tract infections
Muscle strain or injury in the abdominal wall

Associated symptoms can help pinpoint the underlying cause of the pain. For example, pain associated with fever could be indicative of diverticulitis or another infection in the colon. If pain is ongoing or worsening, you should discuss with a healthcare provider.

(References)

Abboud B, Daher R. An exceptional cause of left lower quadrant abdominal pain. World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jul 21;15(27):3451. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.3451. PMID: 19610153; PMCID: PMC2712913.
Tursi A, Elisei W, Picchio M, Giorgetti GM, Brandimarte G. Moderate to severe and prolonged left lower-abdominal pain is the best symptom characterizing symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease of the colon: a comparison with fecal calprotectin in clinical setting. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2015 Mar;49(3):218-21. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0000000000000094. PMID: 24583746.
Sim SS, Sun JT, Huang SY. Elderly Man With Left-Sided Abdominal Pain. J Acute Med. 2020 Dec 1;10(4):165-166. doi: 10.6705/j.jacme.202012_10(4).0007. PMID: 33489742; PMCID: PMC7814206.

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