This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Right upper quadrant pain

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Differential diagnosis for patients presenting with right upper quadrant abdominal pain are:

  • biliary pain - constant, nonparoxysmal pain which rapidly increases in intensity then plateaus, lasts four to six hours, occasionally radiates to the right subscapular area
  • acute cholecystitis - longer lasting (more than six hours) biliary pain with tenderness, fever, and/or leukocytosis
  • dyspepsia - bloating, nausea, belching, intolerance to fatty foods
  • duodenal ulcer - pain two hours after meals, relieved by taking food or antacids
  • hepatic abscess - pain associated with fever and chills; palpable liver and subcostal tenderness
  • acute myocardial infarction - right upper quadrant or epigastrium discomfort; may be similar to biliary pain (1)

Other possible causes of right upper quadrant pain include:

  • duodenal ulcer
  • acute pancreatitis
  • pneumonia
  • subphrenic abscess

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.