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Child with Abdominal Pain
Rajalakshmi Iyer1, Karthi Nallasamy2
1Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
Insights
Pediatric abdominal pain is common in urgent care. While often self-limiting, serious conditions like intestinal obstruction require prompt emergency department referral.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Urgent Care Medicine
Background:
- Abdominal pain is a frequent pediatric complaint in urgent care settings.
- While many cases are benign, serious surgical conditions necessitate timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the differential diagnosis of pediatric abdominal pain in urgent care.
- To emphasize diagnostic approaches and the role of investigations.
Main Methods:
- Review of common etiologies for pediatric abdominal pain.
- Emphasis on clinical history and physical examination for diagnosis.
Main Results:
- Common causes include gastroenteritis, constipation, and functional pain.
- Extra-abdominal conditions can mimic abdominal pain.
- Serious causes like obstruction and peritonitis require urgent referral.
Conclusions:
- History and physical exam are paramount for diagnosing pediatric abdominal pain.
- Investigations have limited utility for benign causes; focus on identifying surgical emergencies.
Abstract:
Abdominal pain is one of the common symptoms reported by children in urgent care clinics. While most children tend to have self-limiting conditions, the treating pediatrician should watch out for underlying serious causes like intestinal obstruction and perforation peritonitis, which require immediate referral to an emergency department (ED). Abdominal pain may be secondary to surgical or non-surgical causes, and will differ as per the age of the child. The common etiologies for abdominal pain presenting to an urgent care clinic are acute gastro-enteritis, constipation and functional abdominal pain; however, a variety of extra-abdominal conditions may also present as abdominal pain. Meticulous history taking and physical examination are the best tools for diagnosis, while investigations have a limited role in treating benign etiologies.
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