Govender I, Rangiah S, Bongongo T, Mahuma P. A Primary Care Approach to Abdominal Pain in Adults.
S Afr Fam Pract (2004) 2021;
63:e1-e5. [PMID:
33764143 PMCID:
PMC8378095 DOI:
10.4102/safp.v63i1.5280]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abdominal pain is a common presenting problem with multiple aetiologies that often pose diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas for primary care practitioners. The vague symptomatology and difficult correlation to specific organ pathology obscures clinical findings leading to incorrect diagnoses. Although most presentations of abdominal pain are benign, a significant number of patients have life-threatening conditions that require a meticulous approach to management in order to prevent morbidity and mortality. The skill in assessing patients presenting with abdominal pain is fundamental for all primary care doctors. This review will discuss an approach to the assessment and diagnosis of abdominal pain in the primary care setting.
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