Middle left abdominal pain can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'serious' to 'life-threatening'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose middle left abdominal pain, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Pyelonephritis | 91% | Confirm |
Possible Urgent Medical Need | 18% | Unlikely |
Kidney Disease | 2% | Ruled out |
Glomerulonephritis | 1% | Ruled out |
Kidney Stones | 0% | Ruled out |
MIDDLE-LEFT abdomen: Do you experience discomfort or pain below your lower left rib?
Possible responses:
→ No / only after meals / don't know→ Occasional mild discomfort → Frequent mild and/or occasional moderate pain → Frequent moderate and/or occasional severe pain → Frequent or constant severe pain |
Flank pain may or may not be due to stretching of the renal capsule (the covering that forms the outside of the kidney), or to irritation of the muscle tissues surrounding the kidneys. This flank pain is usually reported as a dull ache. A very small percentage of patients seem to develop persistent, severe attacks of flank pain.
The symptoms of kidney infection can include back pain, side pain and loin pain.