What causes stomach pain?

“Stomach pain” refers to upper abdominal pain, indicating the presence of gastric disease. Possible conditions include chronic gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, and gastric tumors—such as gastric cancer or gastric lymphoma. Patients should undergo gastroscopy to establish a definitive diagnosis. So, what causes stomach pain? The following section addresses this question.

What Causes Stomach Pain?

1. Dietary Factors

Consuming excessively greasy foods can readily trigger stomach pain. High-fat meals impair gastrointestinal digestion, while excessive intake of high-protein and high-fat foods disrupts the gut microbiota, compromising the survival of beneficial bacteria and thereby contributing to stomach pain. Additionally, eating too quickly or chewing inadequately hinders proper digestion and may also lead to stomach pain.

2. Pathological Factors

These include gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, and gastric ptosis. Other conditions include duodenal ulcers, gastroduodenal composite ulcers, gastric polyps, and gastric bezoars. Gastric mucosal prolapse, acute gastric dilatation, and pyloric obstruction are also gastric disorders that may induce stomach pain. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Spleen governs the transformation of food and drink into essential nutrients (“Jing Wei”) and their distribution throughout the body; it also regulates water metabolism—including absorption, transport, and dispersion. Spleen-Stomach deficiency is commonly manifested by stomach pain.

3. Irregular Lifestyle Habits

Prolonged states of either undernutrition or overeating place excessive strain on the gastrointestinal tract, potentially resulting in stomach pain. Moreover, chronic psychological stress can also provoke stomach pain: elevated stress levels disrupt intestinal function—for instance, by increasing gastric acid secretion—which damages the gastric mucosa and accelerates gastrointestinal motility, ultimately leading to stomach pain.

The above outlines the primary causes of stomach pain. We hope this information is helpful to you.