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Abdominal pain which reoccurs in children is the number one reason why parents seek medical help for their children, abdominal pain is said to be chronic if it is reoccurring over a 3-month period of time. One important thing to note is that this is pain that reoccurs over time not just a one or two day tummy bug or pain brought on by the onset of stomach flu for example.

Should I worry about recurrent abdominal pain?

Most children who suffer from recurrent pains in the abdominal region show no other sign or symptoms of illness and they continue to grow and develop at a normal rate. The good news is that in the majority of children with recurrent abdominal pain there is usually no serious underlying cause behind the pain, and there are many reasons why the child has pain. However, possible warning signs that there could be a more sinister underlying problem can include

* Diarrhoea or blood in the stools

* Black or white coloured stools

* Unexplained weight loss

* Fever

* A decrease in appetite

* Fatigue

* A loss of pallor

* Urinary symptoms

What tests will the Doctor perform?

A wide variety of tests may be performed on the child and these will vary on where the pain is located and if the child is showing any other signs or symptoms, x rays are a possibility and blood tests may also be advised to determine the cause of pain.

Generally speaking, if the child is well overall and the pain isn’t causing any problems other than mild discomfort and there are no warning signs to suggest an underlying cause, then the Doctor will perform only the minimum tests needed. Usually the cause of the pain can be something as simple as constipation which the Doctor can determine through palpitating the abdomen and can be treated easily.

What can be done to ease constipation?

This is the number one cause for recurrent abdominal pain in most children and something which is very often overlooked by the parent, constipation can cause severe pain and it can cause other symptoms to show such as a fever.

The intestines becoming overloaded cause problems in constipation as pressure is felt on them due to the retention of stools, this of course shows in your child as abdominal pain and discomfort. Once the Doctor has diagnosed constipation has being the cause of the abdominal pain then appropriate treatment can be prescribed.

What will happen if the cause of the pain cannot be found?

If after examination the Doctor cannot find a cause for the pain as sometimes happens, then it is classed as idiopathic or functional pain. This can happen for a number of reasons and several different factors can be the cause, factors the Doctor will take into consideration will be social stressors such as family problems or problems in school.

Depending on the age of the child, causes such as bullying in school or problems such as tension or divorce in the family are very often found to be the underlying cause of the pain.

If problems in school are thought to be the problem then these can be determined by such factors as when the pain happens, for instance does the child suffer more during the weekdays than at weekends. If social stresses are determined as the cause, then treatment will focus on helping the child deal with stress, guidance councillors, teachers and parents could then all play a part in the treatment.