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Lower abdominal pain in children
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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[What causes pain in the abdomen in children?
Appendicitis
If the cause of abdominal pain is appendicitis, the pain syndrome tends to alternately build up and subside, accompanied by poor overall health. With the following symptoms, the doctor should be called immediately:
- Lack of appetite, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Stable pain syndrome in the right lower abdomen
- Pain in walking and any motor activity
At palpation, the stomach is painful, compacted. If you put the baby on his back with knees bent at his knees and lightly press his hand on the lower right segment of the abdomen, then abruptly release the hand, the pain in the lower abdomen in children will be much more intense.
The appendix is inflamed when it is clogged with indigestible particles entering the intestine. In the beginning, the pain in the lower abdomen in children may be diffuse, but within twelve to twenty-four hours localized in the lower abdomen on the right side. If you do not take appropriate measures in time, a rupture of the appendix wall may occur, which entails getting into the abdominal cavity of bacteria and provokes a risk of infection. The most accurate diagnosis of appendicitis can be through ultrasound, blood and urine analysis. When the diagnosis is confirmed, the inflamed process is surgically removed.
Cystitis
Inflammation of the bladder can occur in a child of any gender and age. The main cause of the disease is the penetration of infection in the bladder - chlamydia, staphylococcus, streptococcus, etc. More often this disease affects girls, due to the fact that they have a wider than the boys' urethra. Provoke the disease can weakened immunity, lack of vitamins in the body, hypothermia, various chronic pathologies of internal organs and the genitourinary system. The pain in the lower abdomen in children is accompanied by frequent urination, the urine is turbid, maybe with an admixture of blood. Sometimes urination can be spontaneous. With chronic cystitis, pain can alternately appear and disappear. If suspected of cystitis, ultrasound is performed with a filled bladder, urine is analyzed for nitrites, the level of proteins and leukocytes is determined. In the treatment of cystitis is shown bed rest, warm herbal baths with sage, chamomile (in sitting position), a diet that excludes sharp and other irritating foods. It is necessary to eat a balanced diet, take vitamin-mineral complexes, drink more liquid.
Colic
With the penetration of air into the intestine, the child may have colic, more often it occurs in children under the age of six months. With the escape of gases, the pain usually subsides. Colic can appear both with natural and artificial feeding, and are a way of adapting the intestine to the environment. Poorly digestible lactose and protein are heavily digested and provoke pain sensations, which can be accompanied by pulling the legs to the stomach, regurgitation of food, gassing. Improve the flow of gases and reduce pain by using a gentle massage, lightly stroking the baby in the stomach in the clockwise direction. The kid can also alleviate the condition with an exercise called a "bicycle": the child should be placed on the backrest and alternately gently bend and unbend the legs towards the chest. To eliminate bloating and excessive gassing, you can use the emulsion "Espumizan", "Hilak", preparations of fennel, after consulting with the pediatrician.
Dysbacteriosis of the intestine
Symptoms of the disease can be a small increase in weight, growth, the development of scarce anemia, diarrhea, constipation, intestinal colic, bloating, regurgitation of food, a feeling of anxiety in the baby. Treatment of the disease should be comprehensive, it can include the appointment of special diets, drugs to improve the motor and secretory functions of the gastrointestinal tract, herbal decoctions, dill water.
Pain in the lower abdomen in children should be diagnosed by a doctor, after which appropriate treatment can be prescribed.