What is the reason for coughing and abdominal pain?

What is pain when coughing

The occurrence of an unpleasant symptom – pain when coughing – must be treated responsibly. The cough is distinguished between wet and dry (barking), paroxysmal, with sputum production, and with shortness of breath. Sometimes the cough reflex is accompanied by pain, which is localized in:

sternum;
left or right side;
back;
stomach;
temples, head;
under the ribs on the right or left.

Causes

Often a condition where it is painful to cough is accompanied by one or a set of symptoms: fever, chills, shortness of breath, sputum production, runny nose, weakness. Based on the presence of other manifestations, the location and nature of the pain, the causes of discomfort are determined. The patient's condition may be the result of serious pathologies:

organs of the chest;
abdominal organs;
musculoskeletal system.

Diseases that are accompanied by pain, cough reflex and other symptoms include:

Pneumonia. During the period of pneumonia, an increased temperature is observed, and tingling sensations are felt in the chest.
Pleurisy. After pneumonia, the inflammatory process can spread to the lining of the bronchi or chest cavity, which can cause inflammation of the pleura. For a long period, there is a constant hacking cough in combination with breathing problems, low-grade fever (37-38 degrees), weakness, and sweating. Lying on the right side may relieve pain. Chest breathing disturbances are more noticeable on the affected side.
Chronic or acute bronchitis. Occurs after a complication of ARVI. Manifested by fever, weakness, low chest cough with sputum production. In chronic bronchitis, the cough reflex intensifies at night; the acute form is characterized by coughing attacks and wheezing.
Pulmonary tuberculosis. The lungs hurt when coughing, there is an increase in temperature, and the release of sputum mixed with blood.
Colds and infectious diseases (ARVI, influenza). Pain syndrome occurs against the background of a cold due to the accumulation of lactic acid in the intercostal muscles with their frequent sharp contraction when coughing. There is an increase in temperature and weakness. Scratching in the throat is a sign of tracheitis (inflammation of the trachea).
Pneumothorax. Patients experience intense pain when coughing or taking a deep breath of air; this may be caused by: rib fractures, gunshot wounds. Air escapes from the damaged lungs, accumulates around them and puts pressure on the respiratory organs.
Pericarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart). It becomes painful to cough due to compression of the heart muscle. Dry pericarditis is characterized by increased pain intensity during the cough reflex, inhalation, sneezing or pressing on the chest. The listed symptoms are accompanied by shortness of breath.
Tumors. A symptom of lung cancer is attacks of acute pain: cutting, stabbing, encircling. Due to the presence of a tumor and damage to the spine, coughing becomes more painful.
Impaired mobility of the rib cage or thoracic spine. The disease occurs due to spinal injury or tumors of the pleura.
Injuries to the chest or shoulder joint. Due to a rib injury or shoulder injury, your chest may hurt when you move or cough.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system. If you have osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, it becomes painful to cough.
Neuralgia. Based on the presence of excruciating shooting pain in the chest, which intensifies with the cough reflex and inhalation, intercostal neuralgia can be diagnosed.
Shortening of the interpleural ligament. It is a consequence of inflammatory processes. Causes restriction of diaphragm mobility. When the ligament is shortened, slight coughing and tingling are observed. Symptoms intensify when they increase physical activity, inhale air, or talk.
Diseases of the urinary system. In the presence of renal colic, the patient feels a sharp pain in the lower back, under the rib, in the abdomen, in the pit of the stomach and in the chest when coughing, sometimes it can radiate under the shoulder blade or forearm.

When I cough, my right side hurts under my ribs.

The appearance of sharp pain on the right under the ribs, nausea, vomiting or belching - these symptoms are typical for:

stomach or duodenal ulcers;
pancreatitis;
cholecystitis.

It can be painfully painful due to neuralgia or lung tumors. Painful sensations in the form of tingling, accompanied by an increase in temperature and difficulty breathing are characteristic of:

Left side

A condition where the left side under the ribs hurts when coughing can be the result of diseases: pancreas, heart, kidneys, lungs, stomach, spine, nervous tissues. Painful sensations in the form of tingling may indicate the development of pneumonia, bronchitis; in the form of severity - about a pre-infarction state. The side hurts unbearably due to intercostal neuralgia.

Chest pain when coughing

Pain in the chest when coughing may indicate the presence of one of the following diseases:

pneumonia;
tuberculosis;
bronchitis;
pleurisy;
intercostal neuralgia;
peritonitis;
colds or flu;
pericarditis;
injuries to the ribs or shoulder joint;
tumors of organs and tissues of the chest.

Dull pain or tingling pain is characteristic of pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and colds. It is very painful to cough when:

peritonitis;
neuralgia;
tumors of the lungs and spine.

Why does pain occur when coughing?

Pain in the lungs when coughing can vary in intensity: from mild to very strong.
Its duration is also important: it stops quickly or does not go away at all. Unpleasant sensations may be accompanied by shortness of breath or pass without it. They often appear when walking, exercising, or at rest.

To make it easier for the doctor to figure out if your lungs hurt when you cough, why this is happening, you need to pay attention to the cough itself: is it dry or wet, paroxysmal or is it a single cough. If sputum is released, then it matters what it is: mucous or purulent, with or without blood. The general condition or well-being of the patient is also important: weakness, sweating, fever, headaches. All these signs indicate the presence of a particular disease.

Bronchitis

The lungs can hurt with bronchitis, and there is no need to be afraid of this. This phenomenon is quite natural. But you shouldn’t accept this fact as the norm either. You must report your suspicions to your doctor. And he will decide how to interpret this sign. Naturally, it’s not the lungs that hurt, but the bronchi themselves. In any case, it is impossible to cure such a pathology without consequences on your own. The result of such actions can be a chronic process that will remind itself at least twice a year.

The therapist will prescribe the necessary set of therapeutic measures that will help you forget about the pain once and for all. And after several days of taking antibiotics and expectorants, the soreness in the lungs usually goes away.

Bronchitis, as a rule, is also accompanied by fever and malaise.

Pleurisy

Often, a patient suffering from pneumonia asks the doctor a question: “why do my lungs hurt when I cough.” But since we know that this organ cannot hurt, this often indicates the addition of pleurisy, or inflammation of the pleura. There are dry and exudative pleurisy.

Dry pleurisy occurs most often:

during the tuberculosis process;
heart attack and lung abscess;
collagenosis;
uremia;
rheumatism;
blood diseases.

Dry pleurisy is characterized by sharp and stabbing pain in the lungs when coughing. The most interesting thing is that the affected side bothers less if the patient lies on it. Therefore, he instinctively takes a forced position.

Exudative pleurisy also often occurs with tuberculosis, but can also appear with other pathologies of the respiratory tract.

The more effusion accumulates, the less intense the pain in the lungs when coughing, which was initially very painful, becomes. Gradually it is replaced by painful heaviness.

Tracheobronchial tuberculosis

Tracheobronchial tuberculosis is a specific bacterial process that affects the walls of the bronchi and trachea. Patients may complain that their lungs hurt from coughing. This process is characterized by a paroxysmal cough with a small amount of bloody sputum, accompanied by shortness of breath. To establish a diagnosis, the patient will have to undergo a number of diagnostic procedures, including chest radiography, clinical and biochemical laboratory tests.

Abdominal pain when coughing: why does the lower abdomen hurt when you cough?

«My stomach hurts when I cough,” the patient tells the doctor over the phone or in person in the office. This symptom always causes concern and severe anxiety.

If your throat or bronchi hurt from a strong cough, then this is quite understandable - after all, it is in these organs that the infection nests.

But why can it pull and ache, and sometimes just cramp in the lower abdomen?

There are several reasons why you may experience abdominal pain when coughing. This is not at all as rare a phenomenon as it may seem to frightened patients, and, as a rule, no special treatment is required to eliminate it.

Diagnostic measures

People who have pain in the lower abdomen when coughing are prescribed an examination, which includes the following procedures:

Detailed blood test.
General urine analysis.
Stool analysis, which will confirm or deny the presence of intestinal infections and helminths in the patient.
Endoscopy of internal organs is a procedure that identifies problems inside the body.

After the doctor receives the results of the examination, he will be able to make a final diagnosis, prescribe treatment and relieve the person from painful coughing.

Why does my lower abdomen hurt when I cough?

You should immediately figure out what appeared first: pain in the lower abdomen or cough.
If the lower abdomen hurt before the cold, then you should not associate this symptom with a cough - you should contact a gynecologist or gastroenterologist and find out the cause of the discomfort. And then begin complex treatment. If the lower abdomen begins to feel tight and painful after an acute respiratory infection or acute respiratory viral infection with a prolonged cough, this is explained by overstrain of the abdominal muscles.

In this case, pain in the lower abdominal cavity can be considered a side effect - as soon as the underlying disease is cured, the pain will go away on its own.

So, if the lower abdomen hurts with a prolonged, debilitating cough after a cold, then the reasons may be as follows:

Tear of the abdominal press - females especially often suffer, since their muscles are not naturally as strong as those of men.
Pain during menstruation in combination with cough - during menstruation, the lower abdomen hurts and aches on its own due to spasms and contractions of the smooth muscles of the uterus. With a strong cough, pressure and tension increase, and the pain in the lower abdomen becomes correspondingly stronger.
Pathologies of the digestive system - in this case, after a coughing attack, there may be pain not only in the lower abdomen, but also between the ribs, in the area of the esophagus and stomach.
Diseases of the appendages in women - if a severe cough begins with inflammation of the ovaries, chest spasms can also provoke pain in the lower abdomen.
Rotavirus is a type of intestinal flu, in which the lower abdomen almost always hurts and there are signs of pharyngitis.
Borreliosis is an infectious, quite serious disease transmitted by ticks. Pain in the lower abdomen is one of its symptoms.

Below we discuss in more detail all the reasons why the lower abdomen may hurt when coughing, as well as ways to eliminate pain.

Treatment

If coughing and abdominal pain are caused by the fact that the patient has a cold, then after the exacerbation has passed, the side symptoms will go away on their own. If abdominal pain is not associated with a cold, you should contact a surgeon or urologist, or for women, a gynecologist for a full examination. Self-medication is excluded.

If you are worried about a dry cough due to acute respiratory viral infections or influenza, it is necessary to take measures to transform it into a wet one and thereby minimize the load on the abdominal muscles. To eliminate symptoms, it is permissible to use the following remedies:

radish and honey (syrup) to eliminate coughing, pain in the left side of the abdomen;
oatmeal decoction to thin mucus in the bronchi;
banana tincture for colds, runny nose, fever;
alkaline water, drink plenty of fluids.

With inflammation in the bronchi, acid is released from the stomach into the esophagus, provoking coughing attacks. Treatment is with antibiotics. In case of a sharp deterioration in health, urgent hospitalization is required. Women during pregnancy are not recommended to take any medications to make them feel better. All you have to do is lie on your back, calm down, relax and call a doctor.

You should not delay visiting a specialist if symptoms do not go away within 3-4 days. Increased pressure in the peritoneal area can be caused by cystitis, polycystic disease, gastritis, hyperacid gastroduodenitis, reflux disease accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen (left), belching and dry cough. In acute appendicitis, there is a stabbing sensation in the right side, the pain increases sharply when coughing. The symptoms may pose a serious health risk. It is better to immediately consult a doctor rather than self-medicate.

Women's periods

If a cold accompanied by a severe cough coincides with monthly menstruation, girls may feel severe discomfort, and the illness will be more severe than usual.
Everyone experiences menstruation differently: some experience it very painfully, while others experience it without any problems. But in any case, during this period the uterus is in good shape and can react painfully to any stress.

Do not be scared and try to find symptoms of any fatal disease. To reduce pain and spasms, you can take 1-2 tablets of no-shpa, and to calm down, consult a doctor.

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract

If a patient has gastritis or a stomach ulcer with high acidity, then he already suffers from pain in the abdominal area, constant or periodic. With a strong cough, a phenomenon called gastroesophageal reflux may occur - the release of stomach acid into the esophagus.

On the one hand, this will irritate the inflamed mucous membrane of the larynx and trachea even more and provoke a new attack.

On the other hand, a cough will cause more and more releases of acid, which can result in a very painful stomach. The problem must be solved by an otolaryngologist and a gastroenterologist together; without curing one disease, it will be impossible to get rid of the other.

Why does abdominal pain occur?

The first thing a person must do is figure out what came first: a cough or discomfort in the lower abdomen. If the sign of a cold appeared a little later, then these phenomena are not related to each other.

In this case, a visit to a gastroenterologist and gynecologist is recommended. It is these doctors who will help establish an accurate diagnosis and understand the reasons that caused the pathology.

If abdominal pain occurred after the onset of cold symptoms, or rather, it was preceded by a viral infection, pneumonia or bronchitis, then the cause of its appearance was excessive tension in the abdominal muscles.

This phenomenon does not require medical intervention and disappears on its own.

According to doctors, several factors lead to the appearance of painful sensations in the lower abdomen during a cold. They are:

Tear of the abdominal muscles. This problem is especially relevant among women, because their muscles are not as developed as those of the representatives of the stronger half of humanity. When a strong cough occurs, the same effect is observed as when pumping the press - contraction and relaxation of the muscles in the abdomen. The only difference is that when training, a person is able to control the process, but when coughing, he is not. Due to the fact that it is impossible to prevent abdominal cramps from coughing, the muscles become overstrained and strained. In order to alleviate the condition at least a little, a patient who is tormented by a cough must completely relax and, during the next attack, bend over as much as possible. Such actions will “save” the abs from unnecessary stress.
Critical days for women. Menstruation, combined with a strong dry cough, leads to severe pain in the abdomen. This is explained by spasm of the smooth uterine muscles. A cough provokes an increase in pressure in the abdomen, and therefore the pain intensifies. The same reason leads to pain on both the right and left in the abdominal cavity.
Diseases of the appendages are one of the most common gynecological problems. The inflammatory process in the ovaries provokes pain in the lower abdomen, and coughing makes the situation even worse. The female body is designed in such a way that pathological processes in the genitourinary system are often asymptomatic. This may include an ovarian cyst, cystitis or polycystic disease. And only another disease can manifest them, for example, a cough. If your lower abdomen hurts for a long time and the pain does not disappear without coughing, you should see a doctor. Excessive muscle tension could lead to rupture of the cyst - a dangerous and rather painful process. The rupture can only be treated through surgery.
Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Diseases of the digestive system cause pain in the lower abdomen, in the stomach area, behind the ribs. Patients with a history of gastritis or peptic ulcer often experience recurrent pain. And when they cough, they may develop gastroesophageal reflux - acid from the stomach entering the esophagus. This phenomenon greatly irritates the mucous membranes of the larynx and trachea, which provokes a new coughing attack. And coughing, in turn, leads to regular releases of acid, which results in stomach pain. Treatment of such a pathology should be carried out comprehensively, under the strict supervision of an otolaryngologist and gastroenterologist. After all, if you start one disease, it will be impossible to get rid of another.
Rotavirus infection. This is one of the types of viral diseases that negatively affects the gastrointestinal tract, causing intoxication syndrome, dyspeptic symptoms, and intestinal pain. If the inflammatory process is in the ascending colon, then the pain radiates to the lower abdomen on the right. And if the inflammation is localized in the descending colon, the pain appears on the left.
Borreliosis is an infection transmitted by ticks. The pathology is considered deadly and threatens human life if timely treatment is not started.

Signs of the disease are chills, high body temperature, and fever. The patient suffers from a spasm of the larynx, which causes pain in the stomach.

Despite the intensity of the cough and the nature of the abdominal pain, experts recommend contacting a medical facility to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe adequate therapy.

Inflammation of the ovaries

The female genitourinary system is designed in such a way that any pathology can go unnoticed for a long time due to the absence of symptoms - for example, ovarian cyst, polycystic disease, cystitis. And only another disease becomes the impetus for their manifestation, for example, a cough with a sore throat, pharyngitis or laryngitis.

If the lower abdomen hurts for a long time, and the pain does not go away, even when there is no cough, a visit to the gynecologist cannot be postponed. Muscle overstrain can cause cyst rupture - this is a dangerous, painful and unpleasant phenomenon, which can only be eliminated surgically.

Therefore, it is better not to neglect your genitourinary organs and treat all diseases in a timely manner.

Help at home

First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the cough - then the pain will disappear or weaken. Effective methods:

inhalation to accelerate the removal of sputum: this method is always used if a child has a cough; when treating adults, it is used selectively;
daily water consumption increases, which helps thin sputum;
recipes based on honey, radish, and onions help eliminate signs of an infectious disease;
direct effect on the tonsils: rinsing, anti-inflammatory drugs (tablets, sprays);
increasing the level of air humidity in the room, while reducing the intensity of throat irritation.

If abdominal pain appears before the cough begins, you should consult a doctor and undergo an examination

Rotavirus as a cause of abdominal pain when coughing

Rotavirus is an intestinal flu. Its main symptoms:

Vomit;
Diarrhea or constipation;
General malaise, weakness;
Severe increase in body temperature.

In this case, rotavirus can be accompanied by symptoms of regular flu, including cough. In this case, the cause of pain in the lower abdomen is not the cough itself, but a viral infection. Also, pain can provoke attacks of vomiting. Accordingly, it is she who needs to be treated. Rotavirus can only be diagnosed through laboratory tests.

ACHING PAIN IN THE LOWER ABDOMINAL IN MEN: REASONS

Hernia

A hernia usually causes pain in the right lower abdomen due to weakening of the abdominal wall muscles. Soreness may also be felt in the groin area and upper thigh.

Spoiled or dirty food contaminated with bacteria or parasites can cause severe, aching abdominal pain. Other signs include vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Mild symptoms usually last up to 48 hours, during which the pain gradually subsides.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, IBS)

This disease causes sporadic paroxysmal muscle spasms in the small and large intestines, which leads to pain that can be not only aching, but also sharp and sharp. The condition may be accompanied by painful, mucous stools, constipation, or diarrhea. IBS is considered a chronic disease that can be controlled with proper nutrition.

SHARP PAIN IN THE LOWER ABDOMINAL IN MEN: WHAT IS CAUSED

Appendicitis

A relatively common problem that is most often observed in men aged 11 to 40 years. Pain on the lower right side of the abdomen is usually sharp, after a while it is accompanied by vomiting, high fever and loss of appetite.

Borreliosis

This infection is transmitted by ticks; if help is not provided to the infected person in time, he may die.
Characteristic symptoms of borreliosis are fever and increased body temperature - from low-grade to extremely high. The patient suffers from spasms in the larynx and chest, as a result of which the stomach may also hurt.

The disease is very dangerous; you should not try to suppress attacks with medications from your home medicine cabinet; you should immediately call a doctor or take the patient to the hospital, where he will receive emergency care.

During pregnancy

Any pain during pregnancy is fraught with serious consequences.

If a pregnant woman's lower abdomen hurts when she coughs, this may indicate a threat of miscarriage. You need to go to the hospital as soon as possible: there is a risk of losing the child.

This condition is more than dangerous and requires the help of a doctor. Pregnant women need to doubly protect themselves from colds, because their immunity is already physiologically weakened: the condition can be aggravated even due to bad weather.

Don’t be afraid to look like an alarmist in the doctor’s eyes. It is better to immediately determine the cause of cough and pain in the lower abdomen. It is easier to cure a disease at its first manifestations than to try to get rid of complications. But painful sensations are already complications, since the abdominal press is overstrained from a long, debilitating cough.

First aid for cough and lower abdominal pain

In most cases, the lower abdomen begins to hurt after a very strong cough, so first of all you need to make every effort to soften it. The following remedies will help with this at home:

Therapeutic inhalations with soda, iodine, decoctions of medicinal herbs or essential oils of coniferous plants - during an exacerbation of the disease, inhalations can be done every two hours - this moisturizes and soothes the mucous membrane, thins sputum and promotes their rapid and painless discharge.
Homemade syrups from honey or sugar and radish, onion, aloe. You can take them every hour, a teaspoon.
Warm drinks with fats and alkalis - for example, milk with warmed Borjomi and honey or butter. Oatmeal decoction or banana infusion is a good treatment for pharyngitis and laryngitis.

To relieve abdominal pain, you can take No-Shpu or Spazmalgon. Elena Malysheva will tell you how to cure a cough in the video in this article.

How to deal with stomach pain

A situation where there is pain in the lower abdomen occurs with prolonged coughing. That is why a person should try to smooth out this situation as much as possible.

Doctors suggest resorting to methods that will help cope with the problem at home:

Special inhalations using iodine, herbal decoctions, essential oils. In acute cases of pathology, it is recommended to perform procedures every three hours, which will help moisturize the protective membrane of the larynx and painlessly remove phlegm when coughing.
Preparation of medicinal drinking syrup. For these purposes, you need to have honey, sugar, radish, onion and aloe on hand. You need to take 1 tablespoon of this syrup every hour.
Drinking warm milk with the addition of Borjomi, a couple of spoons of honey or a small amount of butter. It is appropriate to drink this drink when the lower abdomen hurts when coughing.
Oatmeal decoction will quickly relieve coughing and prevent pain in the left abdomen.
Banana tincture thins mucus, treats cough and eliminates dry mucous membranes.

If the pain cannot be tolerated, then doctors advise taking an antispasmodic that will reduce the pain. These include No-Shpu, Spazmalgon or Spazgan.

People who experience severe abdominal pain when coughing should pay close attention to their health.

They must remember the onset of pain, what nature it is and what time of day it occurs.

The attending physician will need all this information to make a correct diagnosis.

A modern range of medications allows you to get rid of any type of cough even before abdominal pain appears.

Therefore, at the very first symptoms of a cold, it is worth starting its immediate treatment, so that in the future you will wonder why your stomach hurts.