Pain from the stomach is referred to which spinal levels?

• A. T6-T10
• B. T1-T3
• C. L2-L4
• D. C7-T1

Answer: (A)

Pain from the stomach is felt in the skin over the epigastric region because visceral pain travels with sympathetic nerves to spinal cord levels in the mid-thoracic area. The stomach’s visceral afferents enter the spinal cord around the T6 to T9 (and sometimes T10) levels. The brain then perceives that input as coming from the corresponding dermatomes of the chest and upper abdomen. So the referred pain characteristically appears in the epigastric region, which maps to roughly T6 through T10. Among the options, the range T6-T10 best covers the typical epigastric referral pattern. Ranges like T1-T3 would map to the upper chest/shoulder area, L2-L4 to the lower abdomen, and C7-T1 to the neck/upper chest, which don’t fit the stomach’s referred pain pattern.