What are the causes of Abdominal Pain in children ?

• Bowel (intestine) problems : constipation, colic or irritable bowel
• Infections : gastroenteritis, kidney or bladder infections, or infections in other parts of the body like the ear or chest
• Food-related problems : food poisoning or food allergies
• Muscle strain or migraine
• Period pain – some girls can have pain before their periods start
• Poisoning – such as spider bites, eating soap or smoking
• Surgical problems – appendicitis, bowel obstruction or intussusception (telescoping of part of the gut)

When should you go to the doctor ?

Many children with abdominal pain get better without any treatment and there is no need to see a doctor.

Take your child to hospital as soon as possible if your child:

• has severe pain (despite pain medication)
• has pain that returns frequently and regularly
• does not want to move
• has a fever (temperature over 38 degrees)
• is pale, sweaty, lethargic (hard to wake) and unwell
• is refusing to drink fluids
• is vomiting for more than 24 hours and not keeping fluids down, or their vomit is green in colour
• has blood in their vomit or faeces (poo)
• has problems passing urine
• is a baby, and has less than four wet nappies a day
• has pain or lumps in their groin
• has had a recent injury (for example, falling onto bike handlebars).

What is the treatment for abdominal pain ?

The treatment of abdominal pain depends on the cause. The doctor will examine the child and may ask for certain tests pertaining to the symptoms and examination findings like :

• blood tests
• urine test
• stool (poo) sample
• X-rays of the abdomen
• ultrasound.

Key points to remember :

• Many children get abdominal pain and most get better by themselves.
• Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
• Often no cause can be found, and sometimes a cause becomes more obvious with time.

Pain abdomen | Appendix | Constipation | Stomach ache | Colic | Gastroenteritis