What Causes Dull or Sharp Upper-Center Abdominal Pain?

What Causes Dull Or Sharp Upper-Center Abdominal Pain?

Dull or sharp upper-center abdominal pain can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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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 dull or sharp upper-center abdominal pain, 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 "dull or sharp upper-center abdominal pain" as a symptom. Here are eight possibilities:

Pancreatitis
Gallbladder Disease
Gastritis
Stomach Ulcers
Pancreatic Cancer
Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction
Atrophic Gastritis
Heartburn

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:

significant amounts of occult blood

meals worsen epigastric pain

regular unexplained nausea

using NSAIDs

pancreatitis

having non-problematic gallstones

jaundiced skin

loss of appetite

meals worsen top-right abdomen pain

calcium-based antacid use

frequent red blood in stools

meal-induced pain for 1-4 weeks

... and more than 90 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of dull or sharp upper-center abdominal pain:

Cause	Probability	Status
Heartburn	97%	Confirm
Sphincter Of Oddi Dysfunction	20%	Unlikely
Pancreatic Cancer	18%	Unlikely
Gallbladder Disease	0%	Ruled out
Pancreatitis	0%	Ruled out
Atrophic Gastritis	0%	Ruled out
Stomach Ulcers	0%	Ruled out
Gastritis	0%	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-CENTER abdomen: If you experience discomfort or pain in the epigastric (stomach) area that becomes worse after eating, what best describes this pain?

Possible responses:

→ Not applicable / pain only after food / don't know
→ Pressure
→ Burning pain
→ Sharp, stabbing pain
→ Dull, nonspecific pain / not sure how to describe

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate epigastric pressure after meals, burning epigastric pain after meals, stabbing epigastric pain after meals or dull epigastric pain after meals, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Atrophic Gastritis

Gallbladder Disease

The pain can vary from a mild discomfort or dull throbbing, to a deep ache or cramp, to an excruciating sharp or stabbing pain.

Gastric/Peptic/Duodenal Ulcers

Gastritis

The stomach pain caused by gastritis can vary from a dull gnawing ache to a persistent sharp stabbing pain that seems to go right through your body from front to back.

Heartburn / GERD / Acid Reflux

Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatitis

Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™