"Mom, my stomach hurts!" - One of the most common complaints of children at any age. Kids who have not yet mastered speech skills express pain by crying, whimpering, bending their knees to their chest. Unfortunately, often mothers, not understanding the causes of the disease, simply stuff the child with analgesics and antispasmodics.
Discomfort and abdominal pain is a serious signal of a fragile child’s body that it needs help. Pain can be caused by simple indigestion, or it can be one of the manifestations of a serious illness that requires prompt medical attention. Therefore, it is so important to be able to conduct an initial diagnosis in time and to facilitate (and not harm!) The condition of the child before the doctors arrive.
Remember that severe pain in the abdomen is a reason for an emergency visit to the doctor!
Causes of abdominal pain and related symptoms
Abdominal pain can be short-term and long-lasting, sharp and weak, in the area near the stomach or throughout the abdomen, but the main rule in this situation is that you cannot wait until the pain becomes unbearable, and if it is not a burden from too much dinner , you need to immediately call a doctor.
The most common causes of pain in the abdomen in a child:
- Colic
Usually infants up to 3-4 months suffer from them. The baby squeezes the legs, sets in a scream, spins and strains. The pain is removed by a heated diaper on the stomach or the use of dill water. You can try to reproach the baby with a column. With especially painful pains, when the child does not sleep at night, the pediatrician prescribes a special medicine. For example, Espumisan, Bobotik, Plantex. (how to help a child with colic)
- Constipation
In this case, bloating is also associated with bloating. Usually without an enema (how to make an enema for a newborn baby) or a special candle (glycerin or sea buckthorn) can not do. (constipation in a newborn - how to help)
- Crick
It manifests itself in the form of sharp and sharp pains while walking or when trying to sit up straight. It is the result of severe physical strain, sometimes manifests itself after vomiting or severe coughing. In addition to pain, nothing worries the child, he has a normal appetite and normal condition.
- Intestinal obstruction
Peculiar to infants aged 5 to 9 months. Requires urgent treatment by a surgeon. Concomitant symptoms - nausea, vomiting, blood in the stool.
- Flatulence (bloating) and gas accumulation
The child becomes moody and nervous, sleeps poorly.During feeding, the baby can eagerly grab the breast or nipple, and then spit it out sharply. May be observed after feeding spitting upburping. Quite often flatulence is a sign of other more serious conditions.
- Worms
Usually these are roundworms. The pain is not as acute as with colic or constipation, but it manifests itself regularly. Additional symptoms - headaches, flatulence, itching in the anus. It is a mistake to consider that grinding of teeth in a dream is associated with worms in the body.
- Intolerance to any product
Most often, children are lactose intolerant (milk and dairy products). The ailment begins 30 to 40 minutes after eating the product. In addition to pain, the child suffers from bloating, diarrhea, and sometimes vomiting. The pains are colic or cramping.
- Jaundice
The disease is quite serious and contagious. Severe pains are localized in the liver. The child's sclera of the eyes turns yellow, urine acquires a dark shade. The disease requires emergency treatment to the doctor. (jaundice in newborns)
- Testicular inflammation
Usually the child feels pain in the lower abdomen with a return from the scrotum. Inflammation can be triggered by a testicular torsion, a hernia, or a normal bruise. It is important to provide qualified medical care.
- Pyelonephritis
This disease is characteristic of girls. Sharp and rather severe pains are localized in the lower back, side, and lower abdomen. Usually they are accompanied by fever, headache, weakness, increased sweating, chills, nausea and vomiting. The disease is very serious, it is caused by inflammation of the renal pelvis. The cause may be bacteria entering the urinary system or impaired urine outflow from the kidneys. The disease is amenable to medical treatment, but in especially difficult situations there is no other choice but surgical intervention.
- Gastroenteritis
The disease is characterized by inflammation of the gastric mucosa and small intestine caused by viruses, parasites or bacteria. The pain is paroxysmal, dull. Additional symptoms are rumbling in the abdomen, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever. At the slightest suspicion of gastroenteritis, it is urgent to contact a pediatrician.
- Appendicitis
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the process of the cecum called the appendix. He is usually found on 1 of 6 children. And up to two years, as a rule, does not worsen. Most often, children aged 8 to 14 years are affected. At first, the occurrence of aching dull pain on the right or lower abdomen, loss of appetite, weakness, vomiting, fever is characteristic. Then sharp cutting pains occur and perforation of the appendix wall quickly develops. All its contents pass into the peritoneum, which poses a serious risk to the life of the child. An urgent operation is indispensable. (appendicitis)
Symptoms for an ambulance emergency call
- A child under 5 years of age, the pain does not pass more than 3 hours. The kid is naughty and nervous.
- Abdominal pain is accompanied by rashes on the skin of the child or inflammation of the joints.
- For abdominal pain, concomitant diarrhea, fever, severe nausea, or persistent vomiting.
- The pain is localized in the umbilical zone.
- The child refuses food and water against a background of abdominal pain.
- Severe abdominal pain after falling or hitting the abdomen.
- Pain is accompanied by weakness, pallor, loss of consciousness.
- The pain occurs at night.
- Abdominal pain and lack of stool.
- Regular pain lasting more than 2 weeks.
- Frequent abdominal pain and weight loss (or developmental delay).
- Frequent pains recurring regularly for several weeks / months (even in the absence of other symptoms).
Dr. Komarovsky tells when a doctor is urgently needed for abdominal pain in a child:
Stomach ache - first aid
The good news is that quite often the pain is caused by indigestion or improper nutrition, which is safe and easy to pass after eliminating the causes. If the pain becomes stronger and other signs characteristic of certain diseases are added to it, you can not hesitate with the call of a doctor.
First aid before the doctor arrives
- If you are not a doctor who is capable of an initial diagnosis, do not give your child any medicine. They can harm or “blur the picture” of the disease, which will complicate the diagnosis by the doctor;
- Do not feed the baby, but provide plenty of water, especially with vomiting and diarrhea. You can drink Regidron, a self-prepared water-salt solution or still water (lemonade, juices and milk are prohibited!);
- Control the temperature. If it rises above 38 ° C, you need to give the baby an antipyretic;
- It is very important not to put a heating pad or a warming compress on your stomach. Heating provokes an inflammatory process and the condition of the child can deteriorate sharply;
- If you are sure that the cause of the pain is bloating, give the patient a medicine based on simethicone;
- Make sure the child does not have constipation. Regardless of the result, an enema can not be done by a doctor before conducting a professional diagnosis;
- If the tummy is sick, the temperature jumps, and vomiting or watery / fetid diarrhea begins, get ready to treat an intestinal infection (most often it is hiding under such symptoms.
Attention!
The lion's share of the most dangerous diseases hiding under severe abdominal pain and, as a rule, requiring the intervention of a surgeon, are not accompanied by subfebrile condition! Elevated temperature is usually the "companion" of infections.
When in the slightest doubt call a doctor - do not pull with qualified help. No matter what the “business” is waiting for you, no matter how the child of doctors is afraid, call an ambulance without hesitation! Better safe than sorry.
Functional pain - how to help a child?
Children aged about 7-15 years often have the so-called functional pains - it is essentially incomprehensible than those caused by the nature of manifestations similar to migraines. They are usually called pain, which is completely unrelated to surgery or infection. Even an in-depth examination does not find the cause of the pain, but despite this, they are not a figment of the child’s imagination, so as not to go to school or to remove the toys. Children really suffer from them.
Functional pain can be caused by:
- Overwork;
- Stress or nervous strain;
- Functional dyspepsia (disruption of the stomach, painful digestion);
- Irritable bowel syndrome (disruption of the digestive tract without the presence of any organic causes);
- Abdominal migraine (pain in the abdomen, accompanied by headache, pallor, nausea and vomiting) - as the child grows older, the disease becomes migraine headaches.
Functional pains are not dangerous and do not bear any health risks, over time they cease to arise (they do not require specific treatment). However, for children suffering from such pain, proper care is very important. To alleviate the condition of the child will help:
- Calmness and care from loved ones. Create a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere of goodness and safety for the child. Do not allow yourself negative emotions;
- Diet. It has been scientifically proven that the introduction of cereals, vegetables, fresh fruits and dried fruits into the daily menu will help relieve symptoms;
- Medicines With severe pain, you do not need to force the child to endure discomfort. Light analgesics can be given: ibuprofen or paracetamol;
- Diary of the disease. Fixation of observations will be useful for the anamnesis and understanding of "where the legs grow from." The period of pain (how long it lasts), the means of its weakening (what you remove) and the situations in which pain occurs should be fixed.
Specialist consultation: What to do if a child has a stomach ache
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Dudchenko Polina. Family doctor, neonatologist, breastfeeding consultant:
The child has a stomach ache - School of Dr. Komarovsky
Abdominal pain sooner or later, often or rarely, but occurs in any child.And the question arises before the parents: is it dangerous or not, what to do about it; when you need to contact a doctor immediately, and when - you can tolerate? TV presenter Yanina Sokolova is no exception, she is also very concerned about these issues, and she came to Dr. Komarovsky to understand this topic:
My baby had such problems when there was a sharp pain in his stomach, and he cried a lot from this pain. Often I tried to slowly massage the place indicated by the baby. Sometimes it helped. But, if this did not help, I immediately called a pediatrician. After all, there can be many reasons.
A good mother, albeit a young one, in most cases can herself understand what causes a stomachache in her own child. And start taking action before going to the doctor. But there are sharp deteriorations. My son had this at 3 years old. His stomach ached, shouted, called an ambulance, carried to the department. It turned out to be obstructive bronchitis.
My child had such problems, and it is difficult to identify why he has abdominal pain. This article helped to identify the reason. Everything is clearly laid out in an accessible language. We went to the doctors, but apparently we came across mediocre, prescribed everything in a row, even for the pancreas! But after reading all the signs there and by the method of exclusion, we understood what we should be treated for. Of course, I do not call for self-medication, but in order to speak the same language with the doctor, this information really helped.