Table 3.
Differences in clinical presentation, imaging procedures and treatment among the four diagnostic subgroups of 239 patients who reported acute abdominal pain as their chief complaint at admission
| Characteristics | Overall (n = 239) | Group NSA (n = 86) | Group DIG (n = 79) | Group HBP (n = 23) | Group URO (n = 51) | p-valuesa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea/vomiting | 86 (36.0%) | 20 (23.3%) | 40 (50.6%) | 13 (56.5%) | 13 (25.5%) | <0.001 |
| Dysuria | 31 (13.0%) | 7 (8.1%) | 2 (2.5%) | 1 (4.3%) | 21 (41.2%) | <0.001 |
| Heartburn/regurgitation | 43 (18.0%) | 11 (12.8%) | 19 (24.1%) | 10 (43.5%) | 3 (5.9%) | <0.001 |
| Right upper quadrant pain | 166 (69.5%) | 58 (67.4%) | 61 (77.2%) | 23 (100%) | 24 (47.1%) | <0.001 |
| Left upper quadrant pain | 138 (57.7%) | 44 (51.2%) | 59 (74.7%) | 14 (60.9%) | 21 (41.2%) | 0.001 |
| Right lower quadrant pain | 151 (63.3%) | 60 (69.8%) | 52 (65.8%) | 6 (26.1%) | 33 (64.7%) | 0.001 |
| Left lower quadrant pain | 128 (53.6%) | 43 (50.0%) | 53 (67.1%) | 2 (8.7%) | 30 (58.8%) | <0.001 |
| Murphy’s sign | 62 (25.9%) | 18 (20.9%) | 18 (22.8%) | 14 (60.9%) | 12 (23.5%) | 0.001 |
| Giordano’s sign | 91 (38.1%) | 27 (31.4%) | 18 (22.8%) | 5 (21.7%) | 41 (80.4%) | <0.001 |
| Blumberg’s sign | 156 (65.3%) | 52 (60.5%) | 58 (73.4%) | 17 (73.9%) | 29 (56.9%) | 0.136 |
| Colonic diverticula | 11 (4.6%) | 2 (2.3%) | 9 (11.4%) | 0 | 0 | 0.005 |
| Cholelithiasis | 20 (8.4%) | 4 (4.7%) | 7 (8.9%) | 8 (34.8%) | 1 (2.0%) | <0.001 |
| Abdominal X-ray | 84 (35.1%) | 26 (30.2%) | 44 (55.7%) | 8 (34.8%) | 6 (11.8%) | <0.001 |
| Abdominal US | 105 (43.9%) | 36 (41.9%) | 22 (27.8%) | 13 (56.5) | 34 (66.7%) | <0.001 |
| NSAIDs in ED | 50 (20.9%) | 9 (10.5%) | 8 (10.1%) | 9 (39.1%) | 24 (47.1%) | <0.001 |
| Antiemetics/prokinetics in ED | 47 (19.7%) | 14 (16.3%) | 19 (24.1%) | 8 (34.8%) | 6 (11.8%) | 0.074 |
| Antibiotics in ED | 5 (2.1%) | 0 | 3 (3.8%) | 0 | 2 (3.9%) | 0.232 |
| Prescribed antibiotics | 43 (18.0%) | 8 (9.3%) | 11 (13.9%) | 1 (4.3%) | 23 (45.1%) | <0.001 |
a
NSA: non-specific abdominal pain; DIG: digestive tract-related pain; HBP: hepatopancreatic-related pain; URO: urogenital-related pain; US: ultrasound; ED: emergency department; NSAIDs: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Pearson chi-squared test.