When individuals talk about sharp stomach pains, they may essentially be describing the pain that did is not coming from their actual stomach. Terms like stomachache, stomach pains and stomach discomfort may describe any discomfort that we feel in the area between the bottom of the rib cage and lower abdomen.

For our purposes, we'll, focus our attention only on conditions that cause discomfort in the upper abdominal area - more or less surrounding the navel. We'll forego discussing disorders like appendicitis or groin pains that are felt mainly in the lower regions of the abdomen.

With that in mind, here are the most frequent causes of sharp pain in the stomach.

Excessive enthusiasm - In other words, you ate too much or too fast.

Eating something that isn't good for you - a number of foods set off allergic reactions, or may be just too hard on your digestive system to handle.

Gastroenteritis - There are acute stomach sicknesses that can cause sharp upper abdominal distress. This includes gastroenteritis (often referred to as the stomach flu), which produces nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Gastritis - Gastritis is characterized by inflammation or erosion in part of the stomach lining. Ulcers in the stomach are a type of gastritis, which can actually cause severe, extremely sharp abdominal pain.

Reflux - We all are familiar with a problem that's often described as heartburn. This condition, sometimes called acid reflux, occurs when stomach acid erupts past the valve that separates the stomach from the esophagus. Tissue in the esophagus significantly more sensitive than those in the stomach, so part of the esophagus becomes damaged by this acid. This results in tingling or burning pain in the upper abdomen.

Cancer - As you're probably already aware, most kinds of cancer do not have signs or symptoms they reach a dangerous stage. But at some point, sharp pain begins to occur. Stomach cancer is no different. Stomach cancer is not as common as it used to be in the U.S., but all have it are probably going to experience sharp upper abdominal discomfort.

Gallbladder issues - When sharp stomach pains suddenly happen not long after you have a rich, high cholesterol meal, it is likely to be a gallbladder attack. Gallbladder trouble typically happens when too much cholesterol arrives in the gallbladder all at once, and the gallbladder is unable to process it all as it normally does. A gallbladder attack can not only cause stomach pains, but can also cause discomfort in the side and back in the area of the shoulder blades.

Gallstones, which are also a type of gallbladder problems, can cause severe upper abdominal pains as well.

Liver disorders - There are many different varieties of liver conditions that cause abdominal pain. Liver problems may include cirrhosis and hepatitis, which are kinds of liver inflammation. upper abdominal pain is a common symptom of another liver-related problem called ascites. Ascites is a build-up of fluids in the abdominal cavity.

Pancreas trouble - Pancreatitis results from inflammation of the pancreas. One of the main functions of the pancreas is to help control the way the human body processes sugar.

Spleen - A condition called splenomegaly means you have an enlarged spleen. When you are diagnosed with splenomegaly, it is generally a sign of some other underlying condition. Infection, anemia, or cancer are among the possibilities. A ruptured spleen, which often occurs as a result of a blow or injury of any kind, will result in upper abdominal pain.

The list above are just some of the possible causes of severe pain in the stomach. In many cases, such pain is temporary and will pass without treatment. However, extremely intense upper abdominal pain, or moderate pains in the stomach persisting longer than several hours is worth a call to your physician.