Abdominal pain is a common and recurring problem in paediatric emergency departments

Abdominal pain is a frequent reason for paediatric emergency department visits, but specific research is lacking. Our aim was to obtain information on the diagnosis of abdominal pain and what healthcare services children with this condition need.

This retrospective study focused on patients visiting the emergency department of the Children's Hospital Iceland in 2010 with abdominal pain and any subsequent visits up to 1 January 2015.

There were 11 340 visits to the emergency department in 2010 and 1118 children made 1414 (12%) visits due to abdominal pain. The majority (58%) with abdominal pain were girls (p < 0.001) and they were older than the boys, with an average age of 12 versus 10 years (p < 0.001). The most common diagnoses were non-specific abdominal pain (40%), constipation (22%) and viral infections (13%). During the follow-up period, 423/1118 children (38%) visited the emergency department 883 times, 58% were girls and the most common diagnosis was non-specific abdominal pain (37%). Of the 436 children initially diagnosed with non-specific abdominal pain, 154 (35%) revisited the emergency department during the follow-up period.

Abdominal pain was a common reason for visits to the paediatric emergency room and a third paid more than one visit.