Pain in the abdomen of children

They are a signal of disease of the abdominal organs, as well as neighboring and more distant organs. Pain occurs for a variety of reasons at any age. Children under 3 years in general can not exactly indicate the places where they feel it. They are especially inclined to represent any pain sensations in the body as a "pain in the abdomen," indicating its localization in the navel. Children somewhat older, as a rule, also inaccurately determine the painful area, so their instructions are of relatively little diagnostic value. It should also be remembered that abdominal pain can accompany various diseases, for example, pneumonia in young children.
Causes of abdominal pain: stretching of the intestinal wall, widening of its lumen (for example, accumulation of gases or stools), intensifying of the intestine (spasm, intestinal colic); Inflammatory or chemical damage to the peritoneum; Hypoxia, i.e. A lack of oxygen, for example, with the injured hernia (the exit of the abdominal cavity organs and compression of them, which causes insufficient blood supply) or with intussusception (a condition in which one part of the intestine is inserted, is screwed into the lumen of the other); Dilatation of the body capsule (eg, liver, spleen, pancreas); Some infectious diseases (dysentery, acute hepatitis, measles, whooping cough); Severe constipation, intestinal cystic fibrosis; Pancreatitis, cholecystitis (respectively, inflammation of the pancreas and gallbladder); Tumors, kidney stones, stomach ulcers; Foreign bodies (especially common in young children); Gastritis, appendicitis, in girls - inflammation of the appendages (adnexitis); Angina, diabetes mellitus, inflammation of the periosteum (osteomyelitis) or one of the bones that make up the pelvis iliac; Pneumonia in the lower parts of the lungs bordering the diaphragm (muscle separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities); Inflammation of lymph nodes located in the abdominal cavity; Epilepsy and many other diseases.
All children with abdominal pain should be examined by a doctor. If the situation permits, the child should be taken to a hospital where he will be examined, including blood tests, urine tests, X-ray examination, which is mandatory for sudden, severe, cutting pain in the abdomen, combined with vomiting, stool and gas retention, or severe Diarrhea, unsatisfactory general condition, unclear anxiety. With these symptoms, in no case should the child drink, give him any medications, do an enema, apply a heating pad to his stomach, tk. This can worsen the condition and obscure the picture of the disease, in the latter case, the diagnosis can be delivered too late. In any case, young children must be sent to the inpatient department. Many severe illnesses occur in them with abdominal pain.
After examination by a doctor, if the condition of the child allows you to carry out treatment at home, carefully fulfill the appointment. If repeated pains appear in the abdomen, you should return to the hospital again, stating that the pain was repeated after the treatment, it is advisable to have the results of the tests with you if they were carried out recently.
In cities and towns, where there are advisory centers, it is desirable to conduct ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity, kidneys, lymph nodes.