Abdominal aura | |
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Specialty | Neurology, Epileptology |
Symptoms | Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting |
Causes | Epileptic seizures, migraine |
Differential diagnosis | Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), infectious gastroenteritis, anxiety |
Treatment | Anticonvulsants |
Abdominal aura (from Latin abdomen, "belly," and aura, "wind, odor, or gleam of light"),[1][2] also known as visceral aura and epigastric aura, is a type of somatosensory aura that typically manifests as abdominal discomfort in the form of nausea, malaise, hunger, or pain. Abdominal aura is typically associated with epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy,[3][4] and it can also be used in the context of migraine. The term is used to distinguish it from other types of somatosensory aura, notably visual disturbances and paraesthesia.[1] The abdominal aura can be classified as a somatic hallucination. Pathophysiologically, the abdominal aura is associated with aberrant neuronal discharges in sensory cortical areas representing the abdominal viscera.[1]