What Causes Acute Stomach Pain?

Posted on Fri, 21 Feb 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 21 Feb 2014 Answered on

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Twice during the past week I have woken early in the morning with acute pain in my stomach, feeling like cramps. The cramps have disappeared once I have eaten breakfast. I'm worried I might have liver damage as I do drink alcohol every day

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (59 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Alcohol can cause gastritis, acidity, liver issues Detailed Answer: Hi Thanks for posting your query on HealthcareMagic. The cramps seem to be from stomach issues. Either it is gastritis or gastric ulcer. Yes fatty liver is also caused by alcohol it will not relieve with food. Alcohol damages the lining of the stomach causing gastritis. The symptoms include epigastric distress, maybe some vomiting. The pain may get better or worse with eating. The treatment includes antacids like gelusil. You may also need proton pump inhibitor or histamine blockers like pantoprazole etc. To rule out liver conditions you can get blood tests including liver function tests (SGOT, SGPT, Sr bilirubin, sr protein, albumin and globulin). An ultrasound of the abdomen is also needed to rule out other conditions that can cause pain in stomach. These treatments only provide symptomatic relief and you will need to get stop taking alcohol to let the stomach heal. Hope it helps Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj