Abdominal pain in children

Children often complain of abdominal pain. As a rule, parents are not concerned about such symptoms. Often, this is true: abdominal pain in children can be caused by constipation, overeating, upset stomach and other temporary gastrointestinal ailments. If the pain lasts for several hours, you should see a doctor and undergo an examination.

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Causes of abdominal pain in children

If a child suddenly complains of abdominal pain, there is no need to panic ahead of time. First of all, you need to pay attention to the child's age, because some diseases are age-related. By the way, the nature of the pain can also tell a lot. There are two types of abdominal pain: acute (one-time) and chronic (recurring).

Chronic pain that periodically reoccurs for up to several months and is accompanied by additional symptoms, such as diarrhea, indicates possible stress. Most often, this occurs due to emotional stress due to school, parental quarrels, or family tragedies.

Physiological factors such as insomnia, diarrhea, intolerance to fats and sugars can also be the cause of recurring pain. Children should not be spoiled with sweet, highly carbonated drinks or coffee, as this can also cause abdominal pain. Ulcers of the intestinal walls, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis of the colon, diarrhea with bloody discharge, weight loss, and anemia can also be a source of pain.

Acute pain that does not go away for several hours and has a spontaneous nature of manifestation can signal both more serious problems and an incorrect diet. Abdominal pain in children can be accompanied by symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea. To better understand how to treat a child, you need to immediately consult a pediatrician.

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Age-related features of abdominal pain in children

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Infants up to six months:

• colic (residual air in the digestive organs);
• gastric obstruction;
• constipation.

Typically, these factors of abdominal pain in children are accompanied by crying, anxiety, poor sleep and disappear, in most cases, as the baby grows up.

Children aged 6 months and older:

• inflammation of the stomach and intestines (gastritis, colitis, gastroenteritis);
• inguinal hernia (a swelling in the lower abdomen that extends into the groin area);
• respiratory diseases.

These factors are infectious in nature and are accompanied by loss of appetite, vomiting and pain in the lower abdomen. If there is pain in the groin, one should prepare for surgical intervention, but one should not confuse an inguinal hernia with inflammation in the scrotum. In any case, further actions of the parents should be coordinated by the attending physician.

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Preschool children:

• constipation;
• urinary tract infections;
• pneumonia;
• sickle cell anemia;
• food poisoning.

Constipation may disappear after a bowel movement. Urinary tract infection is accompanied by high fever and pain in the genital area during urination. Pneumonia causes cough and chest pain. Anemia causes back, chest, arms and legs pain.

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School age children:

• inflammatory processes in the lining tissues of the gastrointestinal tract (gastroenteritis);
• viruses and infections;
• abdominal trauma;
• pneumonia;
• urinary tract infections;
• sickle cell anemia;
• acute appendicitis;
• painful menstruation, infectious inflammation of the pelvic organs, sexually transmitted diseases (for girls).

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Symptoms of abdominal pain in children

Some symptoms, as we have already mentioned, indicate that parents should take their child to the doctor. Here are some of them:

• nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain,
• diarrhea and bloody stools,
• pain duration - more than 2 hours,
• drowsiness, apathy, hypodynamia,
• manifestation of abdominal pain in a child when walking,
• abdominal pain at night that interferes with sleep,
• pain in the testicles,
• weight loss,
• abdominal trauma,
• swelling and pulsating movements inside the abdomen,
• recurrence of pain during or after eating,
• recurrence of pain before going to the toilet for a bowel movement,
• the appearance of pain when pressing on the abdomen,
• abnormal blood and urine tests,
• urinary tract infection.

Treatment of abdominal pain in children

If any of the above symptoms go away on their own, then you should not worry too much. Most likely, the pain will go away on its own. To be sure that the abdominal pain has no serious basis, it will be enough to create a calm emotional environment around the child, calm him down if he is very worried. If the pain is accompanied by vomiting, high temperature, swelling or bloating, if the tests are abnormal during the pain, then in no case should you try to treat the child yourself, so as not to harm him even more. In case of appendicitis, you must immediately call an ambulance. Any further treatment can only be prescribed by a pediatrician. The main thing is no self-medication, at least without a preliminary consultation with a doctor, you should not even think about what pill to give the child. Without a pediatrician's diagnosis, you should not even give an enema.

Often, with recurring pain, it makes sense to think about whether the child is eating properly. Therefore, with any abdominal pain in children, if it is associated with digestive problems, it is necessary to focus on natural plant products in the child's diet: juices, fruits, vegetables, cereals, fresh herbs.

If the pain is accompanied by additional symptoms, then parents should think about the psycho-emotional state of their offspring.

In the presence of serious factors that accompany abdominal pain in children that affect the child's health, the doctor will first prescribe a physical examination and laboratory tests of urine, blood and feces, scanning of the gastrointestinal tract, barium studies, endoscopy. In some cases, a consultation with a surgeon may be required, as well as drug treatment, for example, with gastroenteritis. More serious cases, such as infectious diseases or the presence of a tumor, require inpatient treatment.