Abdominal pain is a very common gastrointestinal issue in kids which affects approximately more than 10% of school-going children and teenagers. Abdominal pain is one of the common health complaints among school-going children and this particular condition is based upon duration and frequency which will typically last for at least three months with a minimum of three episodes of intense level enough to interfere with daily activities. Many families in India are consistently facing this particular problem and sometimes it is also accompanied by issues like vomiting, irregular bowel habits and other associated problems. So, in this particular case consulting the doctors of gastroenterology for kids in Hyderabad will be very important for you so that things are very well sorted out and there will be no scope for any kind of problem. Following are the common symptoms associated with recurrent episodes of abdominal pain in kids:
- Pain in any of the children that will be less than 5-6 years of age
- Pain that will be happening away from the central abdominal area
- Awakening due to the pain will lead to a significant number of issues in deep sleep
- Pain that takes a lot of time in terms of settling down
- Pain that is combined with persistent vomiting or greenish vomiting
- If there is blood in the vomiting
- If there is a problem with loose tools in addition to the water and blood with mucus
- If there is consistent lethargy and the children are also disinterested in routine childhood activities.
- If the kids are prone to the problem of constitutional symptoms including weight loss, loss of appetite and fever
- If kids are pro to the problem of associated joint pain, skin rash or any other kind of related issues in the weight or height growth
- The problem of jaundice along with vitamin deficiency symptoms
- Abdominal distension with palpable mass per rectum
Some of the most common causes associated with the reckoned abdominal pain as recommended by the kids gastro specialist have been justified as follows:
- Problem of Gastrointestinal issues based on ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease and TB will be a very common reason behind the problem of abdominal pain
- The non-gastro intestinal issue in this case will be the presence of UTI, diabetes, lead positioning or poisoning or any other kind of related issues.
Some of the most common tips that you need to know about managing recurrent abdominal pain in Indian children are
- Consulting the paediatrician as soon as possible: First and the foremost step that you need to take consideration is to get in touch with the paediatrician and gastrointestinal specialist so that everyone will be successful in ruling out any of the serious underlying conditions like infection constipation or parasitic infection or any other kind of related things. Detailed medical history, physical examination and necessary investigation will be important in this case whenever the pain will be functional or organic.
- Identification and monitoring of the trigger options: The parents should also have a clear idea about the identification of the potential trigger items in this particular case because this will include certain food items including spicy food, oily food, processed food and other associated things. Stressful events like an examination or irregular meal timing have to be taken into account in this case so that understanding of the patterns will be very well done. In this case, you need to get in touch with the doctors for the efficient intervention required at all times without any problem.
- Establishing healthy eating habits: In many cases consistent abdominal pain is usually linked with poor dietary practices which is the main reason that encouraging kids to eat regular and balanced meals will be important so that everybody will be able to depend on the fibre-rich food items based on fruits and vegetables, whole grains and plenty of water. Reducing the consumption of junk food and carbonated beverages will be recommended and further shifting the focus to the home-made and simple meals is recommended to reduce the discomfort at any point in time.
- It is important to take the treatment of underlying constipation very seriously: Paediatric neurology specialist and gastroenterology specialist will always recommend that parents take the underlying condition of constipation very seriously in the cases of kids because this is the most overlooked cause of consistent abdominal pain in Indian children. You also need to make sure that the child consumes a diet that is rich in fibre and further should remains hydrated at all times. In some cases, the paediatrician will also be recommending you with a stool softener so that things are very well sorted out.
- Raising the kids with emotional support: Stress and anxiety are significant contributing factor factors towards the functioning of abdominal pain and school pressure, family conflict or social issues will lead to issues in kids. So, encouraging open communication and reducing academic pressure will be highly important so that emotional support will be there and psychological factors will be very well sorted out right from the beginning. If required consulting the child psychologist will be recommended for you so that counselling can be appropriately done and everything will be professionally managed.
- Encouraging physical activity: The regular exercise will be always successful in promoting the digestion and reducing the stress which is the main reason that encouraging your kids to engage into age-appropriate physical activity will be important so that excessive screen time will be eliminated and contribution to the sedentary behaviour of digestive issues will be bare minimum throughout the process.
Appropriately and consistently remaining in touch with the doctors will be highly recommended for the parents so that everybody will be able to adopt the holistic approach that will balance medical care, lifestyle modification and emotional support with cultural awareness. With professional consultation and early intervention at the right time, everyone will be able to overcome this condition very easily and provide their kids with an active and healthy life in the long run.
