▷ A child has a stomach ache: causes of vomiting and fever and what to do?

The most common reason for visiting a pediatrician is when a child has a stomach ache. Abdominal pain (abdominal pain) occurs in children of all ages (from infants to teenagers) and in most cases indicates the presence of disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and in other organs.

How to differentiate abdominal pain in young children, what symptoms should you be wary of and what to do if your baby has pain in the navel or any other area of the abdomen? These and other questions are answered by pediatricians at the Amel Dental clinic.

Causes and types of abdominal pain in children

A child's stomach can hurt for several reasons. Depending on the source of pain, there are:

1
Organic pain – associated with functional and other disorders in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
2
Inorganic pain is not related to the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, caused by disorders in other organs and systems.
3
Psychosomatic pain – arising from stress, appearing in the absence of any disturbances in the functioning of internal organs.
Read also: Short frenulum of the tongue. Trim or stretch?

First aid

If a child complains of pain in the abdominal area or feels unwell, first aid must be provided before the doctor arrives. To alleviate the condition at home, parents can do the following:

Provide the baby with peace and long sleep if necessary. Lay him on the bed, bend his knees. If your child doesn't mind, tuck a pillow under your feet.
Take the baby in your arms. Hold him close, carry him around the house, calm him down. Do not make sudden bends when vomiting; hold the newborn upright for belching and passing gases.
Give the baby a belly massage. For colic, place the baby on his back and stroke the navel clockwise. Then bend your knees, gently press it to your stomach, repeat five to ten times - the gas should go away, the pain will become weak and dull.
If constipation is the cause of discomfort, do an enema.
Let's drink liquid in small portions.
Apply ice to the area of pain for a few minutes.
Take your temperature.
Monitor your stool and the frequency of vomiting.
Call an ambulance if the pain does not go away after one to two hours or if it suddenly intensifies.

What not to do before the doctor arrives

Relieve discomfort with painkillers, inject medications without prescriptions.
Force feed.
Give extra fluids when vomiting and nausea occurs.
Warm the area of pain with compresses.

Organic (visceral) abdominal pain

Visceral pain occurs directly in organs located in the abdominal area. Painful sensations of organic etiology in a child may be associated with the following diseases:

gastritis;
stomach ulcer;
pancreatitis, cholecystitis;
colitis, enteritis, enterocolitis;
liver and gallbladder diseases;
appendicitis;
inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system.

In the area where the pathological process is localized, blood circulation is disrupted, stretching or tension occurs, which irritate the nerve endings. The nerve fibers, when irritated, send a signal to the spinal cord, and the child feels pain in the abdomen. With diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the stomach hurts in the navel area, in the upper and lower abdomen.

Depending on where exactly the pain is localized, the doctor can guess the type and nature of the pathology. For example:

pain in the upper abdomen may indicate the development of a pathological process in the stomach or lower esophagus;
pain around the navel occurs due to irritation of the small intestine;
pain below the navel (lower abdomen) indicates pathological processes in the large intestine.

Dangerous symptoms (acute abdomen)

The concept of “acute abdomen” means that the child experiences severe aching or sharp pain (continuous or frequently recurring pain attacks).

How to determine that a baby has such an acute condition? Signs of an “acute abdomen”:

the baby complains of severe pain, cries, screams, writhes in pain;
painful sensations do not go away within 2-4 hours or increase;
the child’s overall health deteriorates and cold sweats appear;
the child's consciousness is confused due to pain, he is on the verge of fainting.

In case of the described condition, you should consult a doctor immediately! Acute pain symptoms may indicate such dangerous diseases and conditions as pancreatitis, internal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, cholecystitis, appendicitis, peritonitis, purulent inflammatory processes, perforated ulcer.

Gastritis

Gastritis is an inflammation of the walls of the stomach, accompanied by abdominal pain and disruption of the digestive process. The most common cause of gastritis in children is Helicobacter pylori infection.

Predisposition to the disease is due to factors that affect the acidity of gastric juice and thereby increase the risk of developing infection:

increased emotional sensitivity;
strong feelings, stress due to problems in the family, at school;
allergic reactions;
eating disorder.

If a child has a stomach ache and vomiting, he probably has gastritis, since with gastritis the liver enlarges, stagnation of bile is observed, and this leads to the manifestation of dyspeptic disorders:

nausea and vomiting;
belching;
constipation, diarrhea.

Intestinal diseases

Inflammatory processes in the small or large intestine manifest themselves in the form of acute abdominal pain and indigestion (diarrhea). Most often, in childhood, colitis and enteritis develop as a consequence of acute infections, after antibiotic therapy, and also as a result of intestinal pathogens entering the body.

Signs of intestinal diseases:

stomach pain and fever, the pain is paroxysmal in nature;
diarrhea, constipation or alternating constipation, diarrhea;
rumbling, bloating.

The child becomes irritable and tearful, he may experience smooth muscle spasms, and vascular dystonia develops. If the disease is not caused by an acute intestinal infection, periods of remission may occur. Then the pain goes away, but intestinal dysfunction remains. In this case, restorative treatment is carried out.

Stomach ulcer

A stomach (duodenal) ulcer is an inflammatory process, during the development of which ulcerations are formed on the mucous membrane of the stomach (duodenum), and has the same causes and predisposition factors as gastritis. With a peptic ulcer, gastric juice is also released into the esophagus (gastroesophageal reflux), which causes heartburn, belching, and pain in the upper abdomen.

Dangerous symptoms:

increased pain intensity, increased pain attacks;
sudden weight loss;
vomiting with the inclusion of normal or dark blood.

Diseases of the biliary system

Diseases of the liver and gall bladder in children, as a rule, have a microbial etiology and develop as a result of:

dyskinesia of the biliary tract due to compression, blockage of the ducts;
dysfunction of the sphincter apparatus;
violations of the contractility of the gallbladder.

Symptoms of diseases of the biliary system:

pain in the upper abdomen;
nausea;
belching;
unstable (irregular, with changes in consistency) stool;
constipation;
liver enlargement.

Appendicitis

Appendicitis in children is a fairly common occurrence. While it is rare in children (under 2 years of age), at older ages, inflammation of the appendix is diagnosed in every sixth child. It is the leading surgical cause of abdominal pain, and appendix removal is among the most common operations in children.

How to differentiate appendicitis in a child? According to these signs:

loss of appetite;
general weakness, increased fatigue;
abdominal pain and temperature (slight increase);
periodic attacks of nausea.

In addition, with appendicitis, a child experiences pain around the navel, which persists for several hours, after which it concentrates in the lower right abdomen. During an attack of pain, the baby lies down and presses his legs to his stomach. The presence of these symptoms in a child is an indication for immediate hospitalization.

How to find out the characteristics of pain in a child?

A feature of pediatric diagnostics is the lack of description of the nature of pain and inaccurate localization. What adults call “sharp, cutting, stabbing, aching” pain is inaccessible to a child. The duration can be judged by crying, freezing, pressing hands to the stomach, refusing to eat. Newborns twist their legs when there is colic caused by a violation of the passage of gases.

In babies, indigestion begins in the stomach, only then descends into the loops of the small intestine, projecting into the area around the navel. Older children are more sensitive to diet. In infancy, abdominal pain may occur when introducing formula or switching to artificial feeding.

In older kindergarten groups and elementary schools, nutrition depends on the quality of the prepared dishes in the catering unit. Poisoning and intestinal infections usually cause pain near the navel not in one child, but in several at once. This helps to find out the common cause, examine contacts and those who have not yet shown symptoms.

Schoolchildren may notice a connection between pain and physical activity. The teacher in a physical education lesson must carefully monitor how the exercises are performed. If a child has a stomach ache near the navel, he lags behind the pace, tries to sit more, presses his stomach with his hands, and often asks to go to the toilet.

Growth retardation may be caused by intestinal disease

Adolescent children can quite competently describe the signs of emerging pain. Acute character arises:

for food poisoning;
infectious gastroenteritis;
attack of appendicitis;
intestinal obstruction caused by worms;
Crohn's disease;
strangulated umbilical hernia;
congenital diverticulitis;
passage of sand from the ureters into the bladder.

Dull aching pain above and below the navel accompanies dysbiosis after influenza or a viral infection, inflammation of the gallbladder, the onset of hepatitis, and functional pancreatic insufficiency. Older children are embarrassed to talk about diarrhea and constipation. Although these symptoms have a painful effect on behavior and school attendance.

Non-organic causes of abdominal pain

Pain of inorganic origin in children is pain associated with irritation of the peritoneum, as well as referred pain.

In the first case, the causes of pain may be:

functional disorders in infants - colic, which occurs suddenly, makes the baby scream in pain and kick his legs, disappears after passing gas or defecation and is usually associated with the fact that the gastrointestinal tract is not yet strong enough;
intolerance to certain foods;
mesenteric vasospasm;
systemic diseases;
diabetes;
presence of a tumor.

When the peritoneum is irritated, the child experiences acute localized pain, which intensifies with any movement or coughing.

Referred pain is similar in symptoms to pain that occurs due to irritation of the peritoneum. The main difference between referred pain is that the source (sick organ) is located outside the abdominal area.

For example, a child may have a stomach ache due to diseases such as:

pneumonia, when the infection affects the lower parts of the lungs;
cardiovascular diseases.

Severe pain in the lower abdomen in a boy can occur due to a tumor in the groin (pinched inguinal hernia).

In any situation when a child complains of abdominal pain, you must first rule out such dangerous conditions as an acute abdomen (tension, vomiting, increasing pain) and be sure to schedule an examination or consultation with a pediatrician.

Causes of pain in the navel area

Intestinal dyspepsia

Pain occurs when there are errors in the diet (the predominance of fatty, heavy foods), after heavy feasts with alcohol, under the influence of stress factors.
The pain syndrome is inconsistent and has moderate intensity. Patients describe their sensations as aching, pulling, stabbing. Pain in the navel area intensifies after eating, accompanied by heaviness and rumbling in the abdomen, diarrhea. Pain syndrome is characteristic of dyspepsia caused by food allergies. In this case, a feeling of discomfort in the navel area develops 1-2 hours after consuming a certain product. With severe sensitization of the body to the allergen, pain appears immediately after finishing the meal. Then nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea occur with the release of liquid stool of normal color.

Enzyme deficiency

Disorders of digestion (maldigestion) and absorption (malabsorption) of food in the small intestine are one of the most common causes of pain in the navel. Patients complain of constant discomfort, which intensifies 30-40 minutes after finishing a meal. Features of symptoms are determined by the type of enzyme deficiency:

Lactase deficiency.
Pain syndrome is provoked by the intake of milk or dairy products containing lactose. There is moderate pain in the navel area, which is accompanied by rumbling in the abdomen and flatulence. The pain decreases slightly after defecation, during which liquid, foamy stool with a sour odor is released.
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Discomfort and pain do not depend on the composition of the food taken. I am worried about constant nagging pain in the abdominal cavity, which is localized near the navel, in the epigastrium and in the area of the left hypochondrium. The pain syndrome is combined with steatorrhea, creatorrhea, and lienterea.

Food poisoning

Unpleasant sensations develop in the peri-umbilical region due to food toxic infections, intestinal infections that occur as gastroenteritis, enterocolitis. Typical for poisoning are cramping pains near the navel, which appear suddenly and have varying intensity. They begin a few hours after eating low-quality foods or drinking water from unknown sources.

The symptom most often occurs with salmonellosis, for which the “triangle” is pathognomonic - pain in the epigastrium, around the navel and in the ileocecal zone. When pressing on the navel, a person feels sharp pain. Pain syndrome is also possible with other intestinal infections (escherichiosis, rotavirus gastroenteritis, yersiniosis). It is accompanied by repeated vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration.

Chronic enteritis

With chronic enteritis, minor pain and discomfort are constantly observed in the area surrounding the navel. Exacerbation of pain occurs under the influence of food and other provoking factors. The pain intensifies immediately after finishing eating, at the same time the urge to defecate appears. After the passage of gas and bowel movements, the pain subsides.

Pain in the navel area

Pathologies of the gastroduodenal region

With diseases of the stomach and duodenum, pain occurs not only in the epigastric region, but also around the navel. Severe hunger or night pain, relieved after eating, are characteristic of ulcers of the antrum and duodenal ulcers. With pyloric stenosis, complaints are made of bursting and dull pain, which subside after vomiting, but do not completely disappear. An attack of sharp pain in the epigastric and navel areas may be associated with volvulus or acute dilatation of the stomach.

Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by constant, low-intensity pain to the left of the navel, aggravated by eating large amounts of fatty and carbohydrate-rich foods. The symptom is accompanied by diarrhea; the stool contains pieces of undigested food. In acute pancreatitis, the patient experiences sharp girdling pain, affecting the peri-umbilical region and upper abdomen.

Umbilical hernia

In the initial stages of the disease, slight discomfort is felt near the navel, which intensifies when this area is compressed by tight clothing or a belt. As the hernia increases in size, a constant dull pain appears. A painless protrusion is formed in the area of the umbilical ring, which is easily reduced into the abdominal cavity. The complicated course of the hernia is indicated by severe pain attacks localized around the navel.

Diverticulosis

With inflammation of the diverticula of the small intestine, stabbing, aching, sharp pains around the navel develop. The sensations do not have a direct connection with meals, but can intensify after a heavy feast, when an increased load on the intestines is created. The pain syndrome is complemented by chronic diarrhea, which occurs 3-5 times a day and alternates with periods of normal stool.

Small bowel obstruction

Against the background of complete well-being, cramping pain occurs in the navel area. Its intensity periodically increases, which corresponds to the passage of a peristaltic wave. An early sign is vomiting of gastric contents, which after some time becomes fecal in nature. After 24-36 hours, the intensity of pain decreases, which serves as a prognostically unfavorable sign. A similar clinical picture is also typical for intestinal volvulus.

Appendicitis

In the first 2-3 hours of acute appendicitis, pain is felt near the navel. They have a cramping character, which does not change after changing body position or defecation. After the onset of pain, vomiting occurs once or twice. After a couple of hours, the pain shifts to the right iliac region. They are accompanied by weakness, pale skin, and increased body temperature.

Whipple's disease

Whipple's disease is characterized by paroxysmal pain around the navel, which occurs suddenly and is not associated with dietary factors. At the same time, diarrhea develops up to 10 times a day, nausea and vomiting. There is severe flatulence with colic-like or bursting pain in the center and sides of the abdomen. The pain syndrome is accompanied by arthralgia, febrile fever, and swollen lymph nodes.

Malignant tumors

Neoplasms of the small intestine manifest as pain in the navel area or to the left of it. The pain syndrome bothers the patient for several months, its intensity gradually increases. Over time, the umbilical pain becomes unbearable and standard painkillers do not respond to it. Malignant neoplasia is characterized by stool disorders, sudden weight loss, and signs of protein-energy deficiency.

Rare causes

Pathologies of the urinary system
: horseshoe kidney, urachus cyst.
Vascular damage
: atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta, mesenteric ischemia.
Hernias
: linea alba, Spigelian line.

Psychosomatics

Abdominal pain does not always have physiological causes. In childhood, painful sensations caused by various emotional experiences are very common (occurring in approximately 10% of children). We are talking about pain of a psychosomatic nature that appears against the background of severe stress, anxiety, and other psychological factors.

Symptoms:

sudden attacks of dull pain in the navel area, which also end suddenly;
Nausea, headache, general weakness, and pale skin are also possible.

The task of parents is to be attentive and monitor the condition of the baby. If these symptoms appear, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the internal organs. If there are no physiological causes of abdominal pain (confirmation of psychological causes), the pediatrician may refer the baby for consultation with a child psychologist or psychiatrist.

Surgical diseases

The most common cause of abdominal pain requiring surgical intervention is acute appendicitis - inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis can occur in a child of any age, including children in the first year of life, which is why, with any discomfort in the abdomen, you should be wary of this particular disease. Symptoms of acute appendicitis vary depending on the age of the child and the location of the appendix itself. The classic course is characterized by one or two episodes of vomiting, abdominal pain (the child can rarely indicate a clear location of pain) and a rise in temperature. Bowel and urination disorders may also occur, especially when it comes to very young children. Inflammation develops quickly, so immediate hospitalization of the child in the surgical department and surgical treatment is required. Otherwise, peritonitis may develop, which significantly complicates treatment and worsens the prognosis. That is why, before consulting a specialist, it is strictly forbidden to give a child any antipyretic or painkillers for abdominal pain. They can blur the clinical picture.

Intussusception

In children of the first years of life, such a serious disease as intussusception may occur. With this pathology, one intestine enters another, necrosis (death) of the intestine occurs and acute intestinal obstruction develops. This is an extremely serious pathology requiring immediate hospitalization. Abdominal pain with this disease is initially paroxysmal in nature, then the child’s condition quickly worsens, vomiting and bloating are possible. There is a characteristic sign - feces in the form of “raspberry jelly”.

Strangulated hernia

Another serious cause of abdominal pain is a strangulated hernia, in this case, the umbilical hernia. Possibly in any child with a hernia that has not been electively operated on. When straining, the intestinal loop is pinched; independent attempts to straighten it only lead to a rapid deterioration of the condition. If the patient is not operated on urgently, intestinal necrosis may develop and serious consequences, including death, may occur.

If a child has a stomach ache: recommendations from Amel Dental pediatricians

In the treatment of abdominal pain in children associated with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, nutritional correction (diet) is of great importance. It involves the exclusion of irritating factors from the child’s diet - fatty foods, fried foods, sweets, baked goods, and the inclusion of foods that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system. Along with proper nutrition, rational physical activity has a positive effect on overall well-being. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe drug therapy.

In case of acute, or even more prolonged and increasing abdominal pain, the first thing parents should do is call a doctor (ambulance). Before the doctor arrives, you need to put the baby to bed.

What you should absolutely not do:

panic so as not to disturb the child;
try to feed him, give him something to drink;
give painkillers, as they can affect the clinical picture and prevent the doctor from accurately determining the location of the pain and making a diagnosis;
using cold or warm compresses on the stomach, giving an enema, giving the child laxatives - all this can worsen the condition.

Determining the origin of abdominal pain in children is a difficult task that can only be solved by a qualified doctor. Pediatricians at the Amel Dental clinic urge parents not to ignore their child’s complaints of abdominal pain and to immediately make an appointment with a specialist. Timely diagnosis and treatment quickly improves the child’s condition and well-being and allows one to avoid the development of many dangerous diseases and minimize the risks of complications.

Errors in localization

Only a doctor can accurately determine the location of the most painful area with gentle palpation of the abdomen. At this time, it is decided where exactly the sore spot is located: above the navel, slightly below or almost above the pubis, on the right or left.

At the same time, the doctor tries to determine the edge of the liver and spleen, checks the symptoms of appendicitis in the typical and atypical position of the appendix. Parents and teachers should take this into account when figuring out why a child has a stomach ache near the navel.

Teenage girls should be shown to a pediatric gynecologist. Their abdominal pain is associated with the period before or during menstruation, and also accompanies endocrine diseases with delayed sexual development.

Teenage boys are at risk for Crohn's disease. Especially if cases have already been discovered in the family. Paroxysmal contractions along the intestines appear during an ulcerative process and can cause a covered perforation into neighboring loops of intestines and the bladder.

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Diagnosis of diseases

A child has severe abdominal pain under the navel, most often due to intestinal diseases. As a rule, there are no specific symptoms that could accurately indicate the cause of the pathology. Often abdominal pain is accompanied by nausea, stool disturbances, and vomiting. An increase in temperature indicates an infectious disease.

Mucus and blood in the stool appears during the inflammatory process in the intestines. The color of stool changes to dark with internal bleeding, to light with liver diseases. These manifestations can occur in many diseases, so the diagnosis is made after tests and hardware examination.

To prevent the development of chronic pathologies, parents should not independently carry out symptomatic therapy.

The disease that is causing the symptoms needs to be treated. So, if a child has lactase deficiency, then it makes no sense to give him products to improve digestion and normalize stool every time after drinking milk, but it is necessary to exclude dairy products.

It is possible to determine what exactly provokes the appearance of pain in the very center or lower abdomen only with the help of diagnostic studies

Parents can help establish the cause of the pain by telling them when the child has discomfort (at night, before or after eating, during emotional turmoil), how long it lasts, and whether there are other symptoms (abnormal bowel movements, lethargy, loss of appetite).

First of all, you will need to take blood, urine, and stool tests. Moreover, to determine intestinal disease, a stool analysis will be the most informative. It will show deviations from the norm, which will narrow the range of possible pathologies. Even the color, consistency and smell can tell a lot.

So, light stool indicates a problem with the liver, pancreas, bile ducts, black indicates bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, red appears if blood is released from the large intestine. The analysis also shows worm eggs, blood (including hidden blood), pus, mucus, fat, undigested food remains, bilirubin, protein, starch, ammonia.

To diagnose intestinal diseases, ultrasound is also used, which will give an idea of the location of the intestinal loops, the thickness of their walls, tissue structure, the condition of the lymph nodes, and will show whether there is pathological fluid or neoplasms, ulcers, scars.

Examination of the intestines using a fibrogastroscope will help to see the condition of the mucous membrane, and during the examination you can take tissue for analysis. The procedure is not painful, but unpleasant. It lasts about half an hour.

When is medical intervention necessary?

Pain in the navel area is sometimes one of the symptoms of a serious complication in a child. Sometimes the clock is ticking, so any delay can be fatal.

Associated symptoms requiring immediate medical intervention:

diarrhea, vomiting in a child under 3 years of age;
sharp, sudden pain in the abdomen;
vomiting without stool;
blood impurities in feces;
the abdomen is hard, severe pain is felt upon palpation;
breathing problems;
abdominal trauma;
painful urination;
pain in the groin, scrotum, ovaries.

Pain in the navel area most often manifests itself against the background of a child’s eating disorder, as well as as a result of non-compliance with basic rules of personal hygiene.

To prevent the development of a pathological process, parents should teach their child to regularly wash their hands after a walk, before eating, contact with animals, and to eat only clean fruits and vegetables. These simple rules significantly reduce the likelihood of diseases of the digestive system.

Article design: Mila Friedan

Diagnostics

The appearance of pain in the navel area can be due to various reasons. Therefore, it is important to establish a diagnosis that parents can talk about possible events preceding the discomfort. The doctor analyzes the information received and compares the data with the studies performed. This allows us to make a final conclusion about the cause of the pain.

Additional research:

Analysis of urine;
stool examination;
blood analysis;
X-ray;
CT;
irrisgoscopy;
sphincterometry.

In some cases, additional consultation with a pediatric surgeon and gastroenterologist is required. After collecting all the data, a diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed.

What diseases cause pain in the lower abdomen

In children, abdominal pain may occur with the development of the following diseases.

Food poisoning

When consuming low-quality or stale products, putrefactive bacteria enter the body, which causes nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. The pain can affect the entire abdomen or be localized in a specific area.

Intestinal infection

Infection occurs when consuming food or water contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms that do not die in the acidic environment of the stomach. These can be opportunistic bacteria (klebsiella, staphylococcus, clostridia), gram-negative enterobacteria (salmonella, yersinia, shigella), viruses (rotovirus, enterovirus, adenovirus) or protozoa (giardia, amoeba, coccidia).

All of them, in the process of life, release toxins that cause an increase in body temperature to febrile levels, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, spasmodic pain in the abdomen, mucus and blood appear in the stool.

With dysentery, convulsions, delirium, and loss of consciousness may occur

Appendicitis

Inflammation of the appendix does not cause specific symptoms. The child initially feels pain in the navel area, then it moves to the right side. The pain can be either nagging or spasmodic. The patient assumes a forced body position; the pain will be a little less if he lies on his right side.

Abnormal bowel movements and occasional vomiting are possible. When the appendix becomes inflamed, “acute abdomen” syndrome occurs, which is characterized by pain in the abdominal region, tension in the abdominal muscles and impaired peristalsis. As soon as these symptoms are noticed, you must call an ambulance.

Intestinal obstruction

Why does my child have a stomach ache and feel sick?

In children, the disease most often develops as a result of mechanical blockage of the intestinal lumen by a cluster of parasites or a swallowed toy; intussusception or volvulus is also likely.

In children, although much less frequently than in adults, obstruction can develop as a result of the movement of gallstones and tumor growth.

With pathology, an “acute abdomen” appears, after a few hours the cramping pain subsides and a period of imaginary well-being begins, while gases do not pass away, symptoms of intoxication appear, fecal vomiting, and the abdomen is asymmetrical. Delay in case of intestinal obstruction leads to death.

Pelvic inflammatory disease

Often a child has severe pain in the lower abdomen due to kidney disease. Additional symptoms include frequent and/or painful urination and fever. If the clinic is accompanied by discharge from the genital organs, then this is a sign of pathology of the reproductive system.

Helminth infestations

The disease can have an acute or chronic course. In the acute course, the main symptoms are associated with immune reactions to the presence of foreign antigens (urticaria, fever, dry cough, flatulence, bowel dysfunction, nausea, belching).

2-8 weeks after infection with the parasite, the acute phase becomes chronic, in which symptoms are caused by the toxic effects of helminth secretions, organ injury, metabolic disorders, and secondary immunodeficiency. Lethargy, anemia, skin diseases, disease of the respiratory tract or reproductive system may appear.

Helminth infections can have symptoms of various infectious and non-infectious diseases, hence the difficulties in diagnosing them.

Cholecystitis

Inflammation of the gallbladder can occur due to exposure to bacteria, viruses, and helminths. The infection enters the bloodstream from chronic foci localized in the oral cavity, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. Cholecystitis can develop after suffering from scarlet fever, tonsillitis, influenza, salmonellosis, dysentery and other infectious diseases.

Pathology can also manifest itself when there is an abnormal structure of the organ or a violation of the composition of bile. In the latent form, appetite decreases, sleep is disturbed, and low-grade fever appears. Exacerbation causes abdominal pain, dyspepsia, fever, weight loss, and rarely jaundice.

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Umbilical hernia

Prolapse of a loop of intestine or greater omentum into the umbilical ring occurs in early childhood. After the umbilical cord has fallen off, the umbilical ring should close. If in children with a predisposition, while the process of overgrowth is not completed, there is an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (causing severe crying, persistent constipation, gas formation), then the organs penetrate into this ring.

A protrusion up to 5 cm in diameter usually does not cause any inconvenience. When a hernia is strangulated, which happens very rarely, sharp pain, nausea, vomiting, blood in the stool, gas and stool retention appear. With a narrow hernial orifice, abdominal pain, chronic constipation, and nausea occur.

As a rule, by the age of five, the hernia regresses due to the strengthening of the abdominal muscles. If this does not happen, then surgery is performed to remove it. Organs can also prolapse into the inguinal canal, in which case they speak of an inguinal hernia. In boys, the pathology occurs 6 times more often than in girls. In addition to pain at the bottom of the navel, there is a feeling of heaviness and pulsation.

Disturbance of intestinal microflora

The large intestine is inhabited by many bacteria that help digest food, synthesize some vitamins (K, group B), and they also create an environment that is uncomfortable for pathogenic microorganisms.

If the number of beneficial bacteria decreases, then putrefactive bacteria begin to predominate in the large intestine, which in the process of vital activity release toxic substances that have a negative effect on the mucous membrane and force the liver to work harder.

Dysbacteriosis causes pain in the lower abdomen, bloating, stool disturbances, skin rashes, sleep and appetite worsen.

Product intolerance

If not enough enzyme is produced or it is not activated in the duodenum, then the breakdown of some food components will not occur. Most often, people are intolerant to milk or gluten, due to the lack of enzymes that break down lactase and gliadin, respectively.

After eating certain foods, flatulence, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea appear. When eliminating the product from the diet, the symptoms disappear. With celiac disease, the surface of the intestinal mucosa is restored 3-6 months after giving up gluten.

Enzyme deficiency does not always develop from infancy, for example, lactose intolerance often manifests itself only by 5-7 years of age; according to statistics, every second adult on the planet does not tolerate milk well.

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Children have tummy pain much more often than adults for several reasons. Firstly, due to the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the digestive system. The acidity in the stomach is lower than in adults and there are fewer immunoglobulins, so children are more susceptible to intestinal infections.

Pancreatic enzymes are less active, which leads to longer digestion of food, and hence constipation and flatulence, enzymopathies. Secondly, due to insufficiently developed hygiene skills in children's groups, there are outbreaks of infections and helminth infestations.