Abdominal Pain

Abdominal Pain

Discuss and differentiate between the causes of acute and chronic abdominal pain in a 20–year–old versus a 50–year–old male. Provide a rationale for including the appropriate differential diagnoses in each age group. Abdominal pain is commonly experienced by individuals along the age continuum and presents with symptoms that may be vague in nature. A thorough assessment of the patient including, a history of their symptoms and a physical exam are imperative for a timely diagnosis. The condition may range from acute to chronic depending on the cause. Abdominal pain ranks second to chest pain as the most common need for presentation to the emergency department in individuals ranging from ages 15 and older (Purysko et al., 2011). The presentation ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...The average onset of this disease is 15–30 years old and presents as chronic abdominal pain with acute exacerbations and is indicated by CT findings identifying wall thickening and mucosal hyper–enhancement of the terminal ileum and cecum indicating inflammation of the bowels (Purysko et al., 2011). The disease is chronic in nature and has no cure. It requires management with corticosteroids for acute episodes and immunomodulators for long term management (Scott & Osterman, 2013). Other chronic causes of abdominal pain in a young male may be gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS), and ulcerative colitis (Greenberger, 2016). Chronic abdominal pain causes in a 50–year–old male may include chronic pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is the result of inflammatory in the large duct of the pancreas and can be triggered by the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and genetic factors (Barganza, Lee, McCloy & McMahon, 2011). Other chronic abdominal pain may consist of hepatitis, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer which is more common in middle to older age individuals (Greenberger,

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