What Causes Lower-Left Abdomen Pain Worse After Meals?

Lower-left abdomen pain worse after meals can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'needs attention' to 'very serious'. 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 lower-left 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 "lower-left abdomen pain worse after meals" as a symptom. Here are three possibilities:

Intestinal Obstruction
Diverticular Disease
Gluten Sensitivity

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:

frequent episodes of diarrhea

significant left iliac pain

frequent postprandial somnolence

recent onset diarrhea

pale stools

severe hypogastric pain

regular painful urge to defecate

frequent unexplained nausea

gluten intolerance

unexplained fevers that hit hard

chronic diarrhea

diarrhea for 1-3 months

... and more than 20 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

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

Cause	Probability	Status
Intestinal Obstruction	96%	Confirm
Gluten Sensitivity	15%	Unlikely
Diverticular Disease	1%	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:

LOWER-LEFT abdomen: Do you experience discomfort or pain above the left hip 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 left iliac pain, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Gluten Sensitivity / Celiac Disease

Intestinal Obstruction

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™