Of adult patients presenting to the emergency room for evaluation of acute abdominal pain, which one of the following answers includes the most common diagnoses?

c. Nonspecific abdominal pain, appendicitis, intestinal obstruction

Numerous surgical causes exist for the patient presenting with acute abdominal pain. A recent review of nearly 1200 patients presenting for emergency evaluation of abdominal pain affords some interesting findings. The most common diagnosis was nonspecific abdominal pain, occurring in 35% of patients. Appendicitis (17%), intestinal obstruction (15%), urologic problems (6%), and gallstones (5%) were the leading surgical causes. The largest number of admissions occurred in the age groups 10–29 years old (31%) and 60–79 years old (29%). Surgical procedures were required in 47% of these patients. Large series of elderly patients presenting with acute abdominal pain have found the leading diagnoses to be cholelithiasis, nonspecific pain, malignancy, incarcerated hernia, ileus, and gastroduodenal ulcer.