What tests should be done for stomach pain

Stomach pain usually requires examinations such as gastroscopy, helicobacter pylori testing, abdominal ultrasound, blood routine, and fecal occult blood test. These tests can help clarify the cause of stomach pain, ranging from common gastritis and ulcers to more severe lesions, providing a basis for subsequent treatment.

1. Gastroscopy:

Gastroscopy is the most direct and accurate method for diagnosing stomach diseases. It can directly observe the mucosal condition of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, and determine whether there is inflammation, ulcers, erosion, polyps, or even tumors. For recurrent or unexplained stomach pain, doctors usually recommend gastroscopy examination and may take a small amount of tissue under the microscope for pathological analysis to clarify the nature of the lesion.

2. Helicobacter pylori testing:

Helicobacter pylori infection is the main cause of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers. The commonly used detection methods include carbon-13 or carbon-14 breath tests, which are non-invasive, simple, and highly accurate. If the test result is positive, standardized antibacterial treatment is usually required. After eradicating Helicobacter pylori, stomach pain symptoms can often be significantly improved.

3. Abdominal ultrasound:

Abdominal ultrasound is mainly used to examine adjacent organs of the stomach, such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, etc., to rule out upper abdominal pain caused by diseases in these organs. For example, gallstones, cholecystitis, or pancreatitis may all present as upper abdominal pain, which can easily be mistaken for stomach pain. Ultrasound examination can quickly and non invasively identify these conditions.

4. Blood routine:

Blood routine examination can reflect whether there is infection or anemia in the body. If stomach pain is caused by acute gastritis or gastric ulcer perforation, the white blood cell count in the blood routine may increase. Meanwhile, long-term chronic gastric bleeding may lead to iron deficiency anemia, and the hemoglobin and red blood cell counts in the blood routine may decrease, which helps to determine the severity and course of stomach pain.

5. Fecal occult blood test:

Fecal occult blood test is used to detect the presence of trace bleeding in the digestive tract. Diseases such as gastric ulcers or stomach cancer may cause slight bleeding from the gastric mucosa, which is excreted with feces but cannot be seen with the naked eye. A positive fecal occult blood test suggests the possibility of gastrointestinal bleeding, and further examination such as gastroscopy is needed to determine the location and cause of bleeding.

It is recommended that patients with stomach pain seek medical attention promptly and choose appropriate examination items according to the doctor's advice. Pay attention to a regular diet in daily life, avoid spicy, cold, and greasy foods, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, and maintain emotional stability. If there is black stool, vomiting blood, unexplained weight loss, or persistent pain, immediate follow-up should be sought.