Recurrent Abdominal Pain Syndrome
Recurrent abdominal pain syndrome is a prepubertal functional pain with two distinct peaks of frequency. The first peak occurs between five and seven years of age, with equal frequency in boys and girls and in 5 to 8 percent of children. It is often attributed to the adjustment to parental separation when starting school. The second peak, with a prevalence approaching 25 percent, occurs between eight and 12 years of age and is far more prevalent in girls.6 The pain is vague and is unrelated to meals, activity or stool pattern. Patients are not awakened by the pain. An epigastric location is reported by 10 percent of patients. It is accompanied by autonomic features such as pallor, nausea, dizziness, headache and fatigue. The family history is often positive for functional bowel disease such as irritable bowel syndrome.7 The physical examination is striking for its normality, and the screening laboratory investigations are by definition normal.
Stomach Pain On The Left Side Of The Abdomen
If your child is complaining about pain on the left side of their stomach, it could be caused by something as simple as constipation to a more severe condition like pancreatitis. Dr. Mehta reminds parents not to panic just because their child is experiencing pain.
“Most of the time, stomach pain on the left side is caused by something mild, like constipation. Rarely, it can be a sign of something more serious,” she says. “Your child’s pediatrician can work with you to better understand the pain and symptoms your child experiences to ensure they receive an accurate diagnosis and more importantly, find relief.”
Diagnosing Abdominal Pain And Diarrhea
To determine the cause of abdominal pain and diarrhea, a doctor will first perform a physical exam. Theyll also ask some questions about your health history and lifestyle.
Traveling to certain countries may increase your risk of digestive disease. Be sure to mention any recent trips overseas. The doctor will also ask questions about any recent changes in your diet.
A doctor may perform a stool culture, in which theyll send a sample of your feces to a lab to check for bacteria, viruses, and parasites. If this comes up negative, they may run a more complete analysis of your feces to look for possible digestive disorders.
Other common diagnostic tests include:
- Endoscopy. In an endoscopy, a doctor sends a camera down your throat and into your stomach to check for problems, such as ulcers and signs of celiac disease.
- Colonoscopy. A colonoscopy involves sending a camera into the rectum and intestines to check for signs of damage and signs of disease, such as ulcers and polyps.
- Lower GI tract radiography. In a lower GI tract radiography, also known as a barium enema, a technician will perform a real-time X-ray of the abdomen. This occurs after the doctor injects a barium-based contrast material into the rectum that can highlight intestinal obstructions and other conditions.
Medication can help treat the underlying condition causing your abdominal pain and diarrhea. If your symptoms are caused by stress or need to be managed, home remedies can help.
Don’t Miss: What Not To Eat For Stomach Fat
How Is The Cause Of Abdominal Pain Diagnosed
Abdominal pain is one of the most common symptoms seen by GPs .
They may suggest you have some blood tests or other diagnostic procedures done, especially if you have had the symptoms for some time.
Tests and procedures that may help in diagnosing the cause of abdominal pain include:
Other procedures that may be suggested, depending on your gender, include:
- pregnancy test and/or pelvic ultrasound
- ultrasound of the scrotum
Too Much Sugarless Gum
If you consume too much sorbitol, which is found in some sugar-free products, it can cause pain and diarrhea. According to a 2008 article in BMJ, a 21-year-old woman had an 11-pound weight loss, abdominal pain, and diarrhea from chewing about 16 sticks of gum a day.
A 46-year-old man had similar symptoms after chewing about 20 sticks of sugarless gum and eating sorbitol-containing sweets daily. “Sorbitol goes into your GI tract and since your body can’t absorb it, it gets to the bacteria in your colon, which eat it and produce gas and fluids that contribute to diarrhea,” explains Dr. Raymond.
To fix the problem, cut back on the amount of sugarless gum you chew.
Recommended Reading: What Is Good To Take For Stomach Bloating
Health Net Pelvic Floor Myofasciitis Causes Lower Abdominal Pain Doctors Reveal 4 Major Causes
2023-01-21T03:38:43.169Z
I always love to raise my feet, and have poor posture for a long time. Be careful of pelvic problems. The doctor pointed out that if there is long-term weight bearing, chronic constipation, and old pelvic injuries, the pelvic floor muscles may become inflamed. After a long period of unhealed, the inflammation of the pelvic floor muscles will become fasciitis of the pelvic floor muscles, and the local pain will become the whole lower abdominal pain. . The causes of pelvic floor myofasciitis include poor posture, constipation, straining, overweight, and old lower abdominal injuries. Li Junyi, the attending physician of Sanchong Ren’an Church of Traditional Chinese Medicine, wrote on the Facebook page “No
Physicians pointed out that compared with men, women have more uterus and ovaries, which are more likely to cause the burden on the pelvic floor muscles, which is one of the reasons why there are more female patients than male patients Situation photo.
I always love to raise my feet, and have poor posture for a long time. Be careful of pelvic problems.
The doctor pointed out that if there is long-term weight bearing, chronic constipation, and old pelvic injuries, the pelvic floor muscles may become inflamed. After a long period of unhealed, the inflammation of the pelvic floor muscles will become fasciitis of the pelvic floor muscles, and the local pain will become the whole lower abdominal pain. .
Please read on…
keywords
How Can I Feel Better
Most bellyaches don’t have a serious cause. They can happen for many different reasons, but most are easy to treat.
If stress or anxiety seem to be behind the pain, the doctor may recommend that you talk to a counselor or therapist. They help people figure out what’s behind their stress and give advice on how to fix problems or handle them better.
Also Check: How Much Cost Stomach Surgery
How Do You Relieve Abdominal Pain
Stomach pain has a wide variety of causes and treatments. Some conditions, such as gallstones or appendicitis, may require surgery. Others, such as ulcers or infections, may be eased with medicine. And sometimes you may just have to get through a bout of stomach flu or a kidney stone until it passes.
If you dont know whats causing your abdominal pain, its important to find out, especially if it doesnt go away on its own. Remember that even mild cases can be serious. However, if you have a pretty good idea that your stomachache is related to digestion, you can begin by treating yourself with:
- Bowel rest. Stop eating, or only eat easy-to-digest foods like crackers or bananas.
- Hydration. Drink plenty of water or a hydration formula.
- Heat therapy. Try a warm water bottle or a soak in the bath.
- Home remedies. Try licorice for gas, ginger for indigestion, or peppermint to help relax your intestinal muscles.
Can Stomach Ulcers Just Go Away
Some ulcers follow a chronic pattern of healing temporarily on their own and then returning. This might happen if the factors contributing to your ulcer, such as NSAID use, smoking and alcohol, are temporarily reduced and then resumed. You wont completely heal your ulcer until you eliminate the cause, whether that is chronic NSAID use, H. pylori infection or an overactive stomach. Even after successful treatment, you can get another ulcer.
Recommended Reading: What To Eat To Make Your Stomach Feel Better
Eat Plenty Of Fruit And Vegetables
It is recommended that we eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit or vegetables each day. If you eat a lot of fruit and vegetables then your chances of developing heart disease, a stroke or bowel cancer are reduced. In addition, fruit and vegetables:
- Contain lots of fibre, which helps to keep your bowels healthy. Problems such as constipation and diverticular disease are less likely to develop.
- Contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, which are needed to keep you healthy.
- Are naturally low in fat.
- Are filling but are low in calories.
Urinary Tract And Bladder Infections
Urinary tract infections are most often caused by bacteria, primarily E.coli species, that colonize the urethra and bladder, causing a bladder infection or cystitis.
Symptoms include pain, pressure, and bloating in the lower abdominal area. Most infections also cause painful urination and cloudy, strong-smelling urine.
Don’t Miss: What To Do For Stomach Gas
Tests For Abdominal Pain
A physician may decide to perform one or more tests on a patient to help determine the cause of his/her pain. These tests may include:
- urinary tests determines whether the patient may have diabetes, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and other related conditions
- x-rays can determine if there is a blockage
- endoscopy can reveal a number of causes for pain
- ultrasound can detect the presence of kidney stones and gallstones
Treatment for abdominal pain depends on finding the cause. Some questions patients needs to ask themselves before talking to their doctor are:
- Is the pain in the right, left, or center of the abdomen?
- Is the pain in the top, bottom, or middle of the abdomen?
- Is the pain sudden, and severe ?
- Is the pain less severe, yet occurs more frequently ?
- Does the pain remain in one place, or does it move around?
- Does the pain occur mainly after eating?
- Are you pregnant?
- Take smaller bites
- Have several small meals throughout the day instead of one or two large meals
- Avoid eating things that upset your stomach such as spicy foods, dairy products or foods that cause gas
- Drink plenty of clear fluids, especially if youre prone to urinary tract infections, constipation or kidney stones
Also Check: Where To Buy Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin And Stomach
What Should I Do If I Have Stomach Pain
Mild abdominal pain often goes away without treatment. But some pain should be treated by a doctor.
You should visit a doctor if your stomach pain lasts longer than 24 hours, you have been constipated for several days, it burns when you urinate, youve lost your appetite, youre experiencing unexplained weight loss, or you have stomach pain if youre pregnant or breastfeeding.
Get the care you need
There are many causes of stomach pain. If your pain is persistent, discuss the problem with your doctor. If you dont have a doctor, Grady can help. If you need a primary care physician, call us at . Well arrange an appointment at a Primary Care Center near you. Doctors there can treat most conditions and provide access to Gradys unparalleled medical specialty expertise.
You May Like: How To Cleanse Your Stomach And Colon
The Link Between Your Gut Microbiome And Your Health
In addition, many of the underlying conditions that cause abdominal pain can lead to serious complications, including the possibility of structural damage to the digestive system from infection, cancer and its treatments, and inflammatory bowel disease .
To reduce the risk of complications, its important to seek medical attention for your abdominal pain if its sudden and severe, or if it includes symptoms like fever, bloody stool, weight loss, nausea and vomiting, or visible swelling.
How Do Providers At Children’s Colorado Diagnose Chronic Abdominal Pain
Children who have been evaluated and treated by a gastroenterologist but still experience chronic abdominal pain that impacts their function or quality of life are often referred to our Chronic Pain Clinic. Here, they are evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of specialists who are experts in the biopsychosocial model of pain.
Experts at the Chronic Pain Clinic understand the complex interplay of the biological, psychological, individual, social, and environmental factors that contribute to and maintain chronic abdominal pain symptoms and subsequent disability.
Read Also: What Helps An Upset Stomach After Drinking
Treatment Options For Chronic Abdominal Pain
Treatment depends on the cause. If a physical cause is known, treating the cause is the first step.
When a physical cause is not found, treatment focuses on helping people return to normal daily activities and minimizing discomfort. These measures include:
- Lessening stress and anxiety with medications, relaxation techniques, biofeedback, hypnosis, or other methods
- Relieving pain with medications
- High-fiber diet or fiber supplements
- Reducing muscle spasms in the digestive tract with medications or peppermint oil
Muscle Pain And Injuries
Muscle overuse, a sedentary lifestyle, and trauma from falling or other injuries can cause pain in the abdominal or back muscles. These injuries can cause pain that comes and goes.
Pain that appears only in certain positions, while lifting, or after exercise could be a sign of a muscle injury.
A muscle injury is not a medical emergency. Most people can treat muscle injuries at home with rest, hot and cold packs, and gentle massage. Ice packs for pain relief are available for purchase online.
If home treatment does not work or the pain is very intense, it is best to see a doctor.
Recommended Reading: How Serious Is Stomach Cancer
What Can I Give My Child For Stomach Pain
Stomach pain usually resolves itself after your child:
- Recovers from a stomach virus
There’s no specific treatment for an upset stomach, but you can help relieve your child’s symptoms. Trusted home remedies for stomach pain in kids include:
- Offering plenty of clear liquids to keep your child hydrated
- Offering ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve pain
- Using a heating pad to ease cramps and pain
- Offering a bland diet, like crackers and soups
- Giving your child stool softeners, like MiraLAX® to ease constipation
- Mixing a probiotic in your child’s water, which may help stop diarrhea
What Tests Will Be Done To Diagnose A Peptic Ulcer
Endoscopy. An upper endoscopy exam is expedient because allows healthcare providers to see inside your digestive tract and also take a tissue sample to analyze in the lab. The test is done by passing a thin tube with a tiny camera attached down your throat and into your stomach and duodenum. Youll have medication to numb your throat and help you relax during the test. Your healthcare provider may use the endoscope to take a tissue sample to test for signs of mucous damage, anemia, H. pylori infection or malignancy. If they take a sample, you wont feel it.
Imaging tests. Imaging tests to look inside the stomach and small intestine include:
- Upper GI series. An upper GI X-ray exam examines the stomach and duodenum through X-rays. Its less invasive than an endoscopy. For the X-ray, youll swallow a chalky fluid called barium, which will coat your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. The barium helps your digestive organs show up better in black and white images.
- CT scan. Your healthcare provider might recommend a CT scan if they need to see your organs in more detail. A CT scan can show complications such as a perforation in the stomach or intestinal wall. For the test, youll lie on a table inside a scanner machine while X-rays are taken. You may drink or have an injection with contrast fluid to make your organs show up better in images.
Tests for H. pylori. Your healthcare provider might want to test you separately for H. pylori infection. Tests may include:
Don’t Miss: How To Treat Stomach Virus In Toddler
Causes Of Abdominal Pain And Diarrhea In Children
Like adults, children often experience abdominal pain and diarrhea because of stomach flu, infections, food allergies, lactose intolerance, or stress. But eating too much can also cause these symptoms.
Some children may have trouble telling the difference between when theyre hungry and when theyre full. This can cause them to overeat. Overeating puts stress on the digestive system, which can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Who Gets Chronic Abdominal Pain
Recurrent abdominal pain typically occurs prior to puberty, with two peaks of frequency. The first peak occurs between 5 to 7 years of age, with equal frequency in boys and girls and in 5 to 8% of children.
The second peak, occurring in nearly 25%, occurs between 8 and 12 years of age and is far more common in girls. The child often has a family history of functional bowel disease such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Read Also: How To Move Fat From Stomach To Hips
Diagnostic Workup In A Primary Care Setting
We must keep in mind that not all abdominal pain is gastrointestinal in origin, and the workup of chronic abdominal pain should start with a detailed history and physical exam. Begin by determining if there are any alarm symptoms to refer to a specialist. If alarm symptoms are absent, proceed to the outpatient workup, shown in Figure 1 .
Fig. 1.
Flowchart management of chronic abdominal pain in primary care. NSAIDS, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NBS, narcotic bowel syndrome.
A tailored initial workup, careful consideration of clinical features, symptom severity, or alarm features, as well as prior therapeutic response, will allow the physician to limit unnecessary testing. Initial laboratory tests should include a full blood count, complete metabolic panel, serum lipase, C-reactive protein, and urinalysis. Other investigations should be based on individual patients, guided by the physicians suspicion. Diagnostic imaging is often not needed in patients with chronic abdominal pain, but when imaging is indicated, ultrasound, computed tomography scan, or MRI should be chosen depending on suspected etiologies. If the alarm features are absent, symptoms are usually sufficient to diagnose FGIDs.
Once the diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal disorder is made, it can further be categorized by the Rome IV criteria into FD , IBS , FAPS , and CAPS .
Table 4.
For additional information: