Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital Pediatric Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Levent Element gave information about abdominal pain in children, gave important warnings and suggestions.
Abdominal pain accounts for 15 percent of all medical emergencies in children. Stating that 10% of these patients had abdominal pain due to surgery and should be investigated carefully, Prof. Dr. Levent Elemen said, “The onset and location, duration, frequency, and presence of accompanying symptoms of abdominal pain, which almost everyone has encountered at least once in their lifetime, can provide very important information about surgical-induced abdominal pain; It can prevent complications by ensuring timely diagnosis and treatment.”
Emphasizing that if there are other complaints accompanying abdominal pain, parents should be much more careful because this situation can be a harbinger of other diseases. Dr. Levent Elemen “If the abdominal pain is associated with respiratory tract infection and there is no other accompanying finding, swelling of the lymph nodes around the small intestine in the abdomen is considered as a possible diagnosis. To confirm the diagnosis, chest X-ray and ultrasonography of the entire abdomen should be performed and blood tests should be taken. Abdominal pain will also improve with the treatment of respiratory tract infection. However, rarely, an increase in the severity of abdominal pain, worsening of the general condition of the patient, fever and vomiting can be added to the picture. In this case, it should be considered that the fire in the abdomen progresses and the picture evolves into acute appendicitis. Surgical treatment is essential if acute appendicitis is present. The gold standard in acute appendicitis is to remove the appendix with laparoscopic (closed) surgery and provide treatment.
Stating that although there is abdominal pain with diarrhea, if there is no other important finding, gastrointestinal infection (gastroenteritis) should be considered. Dr. Levent Element said:
“With the treatment of diarrhea in accordance with the underlying cause, abdominal pain quickly resolves. However, in case of occasional crampy abdominal pain with diarrhea, bleeding in the form of red strawberry jelly from the anus, green-colored vomiting and abdominal distension, intestinal knotting (invagination) should be considered. Intestinal knotting is an emergency surgical disease that can cause very serious complications due to its consequences. These patients should be evaluated by the Pediatric Surgeon as soon as possible to avoid damage to the intestines.”
Stating that urinary tract infection can be considered in girls and often uncircumcised boys, if there is abdominal pain along with frequent urination, burning during urination or intermittent urination, Prof. Dr. Levent Elemen said, “After the treatment, abdominal pain improves, but in case of recurrence of urinary tract infection in these patients, investigations should be made in terms of underlying urogenital anomalies and interventions should be made if necessary.”
In girls, especially in adolescence and pre-puberty period, ovarian-related problems can also cause abdominal pain. Pediatric Surgeon Prof. Dr. Levent Element made the following warning:
“Abdominal pain a few days before menstruation in menstruating children is called premenstrual syndrome, and those in the middle of menstruation are called Mittelschmerz due to ovulation. Although the treatment of these abdominal pains can be provided with simple painkillers, if severe pain is described in the right or left lower part of the abdomen, ovarian cysts and ovarian torsion (ovarian torsion) should be considered. As of the results, these diseases require emergency surgery with very rapid intervention by Pediatric Surgery.
If testicular tenderness and redness indicate abdominal pain in boys, it is necessary to be very careful. prof. Dr. Levent Element, “In the case of pain, redness, testicular tenderness and pain in the scrotum (the bag in which the testis is located) together with pain in the lower abdomen in boys, the picture is called acute scrotum. This problem should be quickly diagnosed and treated by the Pediatric Surgeon. Although it is not the most common cause of acute scrotum, it is a pathology that should be quickly diagnosed and treated by a Pediatric Surgeon, as testicular rotation (testicular torsion) may result in loss of the testis, similar to ovarian torsion in girls. Other, more common, but nonsurgical causes of acute scrotum include inflammation of the testicles (orchitis), inflammation of the testis and surrounding tissues. In both cases, the picture improves quickly with the appropriate treatment and bed rest.
Constipation is one of the leading causes of abdominal pain in children. Stating that these patients have a sudden onset of abdominal pain in the lower left side of the abdomen and recurring frequently during the day, Prof. Dr. Levent Elemen stated that abdominal pain due to constipation can be healed in a short time by regulating nutrition and reducing stool hardness. prof. Dr. Levent Elemen states that gastroesophageal reflux and/or gastritis can be considered in the pain in the upper part of the abdomen that increases after eating or lying down, especially in children who have high test anxiety and live success-oriented, especially during the school period. told.
prof. Dr. Levent Elemen stated that the child with a stomachache should be observed carefully and warned:
“A child who has abdominal pain lasting more than 12 hours, increasing in severity, accompanied by fever, vomiting and/or abdominal distension should not waste time by saying 'abdominal pain will pass' and giving painkillers and antipyretics. If possible, these patients should be brought to a center with a pediatric surgeon, they should undergo certain examinations to prove that the abdominal pain is not caused by a problem requiring surgical treatment, and if there is a problem requiring surgical treatment under the abdominal pain, treatment should be started as soon as possible.
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