Recurrent abdominal pain

Summary 

Recurrent abdominal pain is common, affecting up to one-third of school-aged children and adolescents. It often causes significant anxiety amongst parents and child as normal family life is frequently interrupted. Similarly, doctors often have difficulty in knowing who and how much to investigate. Although organic disease needs to be considered, the majority of these children have functional gastrointestinal disorders that can be classified according to the symptom-based Rome II criteria (classification for functional gastrointestinal disorders). At least half of the children (who have no organic disease) have symptoms compatible with irritable bowel syndrome. Hence the child and family see the diagnosis of a functional disturbance as a positive rather than a negative diagnosis resulting from exclusion of an organic disease. By identifying the functional disorder, appropriate treatment may be initiated without extensive and unnecessary investigations.

Keywords: Recurrent abdominal pain, Functional gastrointestinal disorders, Irritable bowel syndrome