AORTIC PRESSURE PAIN - CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE - ANY RELATIONSHIP TO THE IRRITABLE-BOWEL-SYNDROME

Pressure pain over the abdominal aorta is a clinical sign of undetermi ned significance. Ultrasonographic criteria were used to define and fu rther evaluate this variety of epigastric tenderness. The incidence of aortic pressure pain, aortic characteristics, and gastrointestinal sy mptoms were scored in 250 consecutive patients. The incidence was simi lar to 7%. All the patients with aortic pressure pain had gastrointest inal symptoms, with a significantly higher mean symptom score. The occ urrence of pressure pain was independent of any of the examined aortic characteristics, age, or body mass index. We further compared the inc idence of aortic pressure pain between 25 patients with irritable bowe l syndrome and 25 patients without apparent functional gastrointestina l disease. It was present in similar to 50% of the patients with irrit able bowel syndrome. We found pressure pain over the abdominal aorta t o be associated with significant gastrointestinal discomfort. A causal relationship is possible but not proven. Aortic pressure pain can be provoked in a significant subgroup of patients with the irritable bowe l syndrome.