What Causes Upper-Right Abdomen Pain Worse After Meals?

Upper-right abdomen pain worse after meals can have various causes, just like most other symptoms. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnose your symptoms now!

check your overall health status
have a doctor review your case (optional)
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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose upper-right abdomen pain worse after meals, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "upper-right abdomen pain worse after meals" as a symptom. Here are three possibilities:

Stomach Ulcers
Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction
Gallbladder Disease

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

recent onset diarrhea

Over 9 years at 120-180 blood sugar

non-human estrogen use

having excess body fat

Latin / Hispanic ethnicity

significant periumbilical pain

frequent aspirin use

severe upper-right pain after food

skipping meals

regular episodes of diarrhea

dark urine color

liver/gallbladder cleanses help

... and more than 40 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of upper-right abdomen pain worse after meals:

Cause	Probability	Status
Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction	94%	Confirm
Stomach Ulcers	24%	Unlikely
Gallbladder Disease	2%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate abdominal pain increased by eating, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

UPPER-RIGHT abdomen: Do you experience discomfort or pain behind the right rib cage that sometimes or always becomes worse after eating?

Possible responses:

→ No / I only have pain when I eat / don't know
→ Rarely / a few times a year
→ Yes, mild pain becomes moderate pain after eating
→ Yes, mild pain becomes severe pain
→ Yes, moderate pain becomes severe pain

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate meals worsen top-right abdomen pain, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Gallbladder Disease

The gallbladder is located in the upper right abdomen, just beneath the liver. Meal-induced pain in this region suggests that gallstones may be causing a blockage in the bile duct. The gallbladder contracts rapidly but is unable to drain leading to pressure build-up and pain.

Gastric/Peptic/Duodenal Ulcers

Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™