Differential diagnosis of abdominal pain in children

Babies are most susceptible to various diseases during their infancy because their bodies are very weak and cannot fully adapt to the surrounding environment, and sometimes they will experience abdominal pain. There are many reasons why babies experience abdominal pain, some are external infections, and some are hidden internal diseases. When a baby has abdominal pain, how can parents determine what disease the baby is suffering from?

1Acute appendicitis

Symptoms: Initially, the child feels pain in the upper abdomen (stomach area) or around the navel, which turns into pain in the lower right abdomen after a few hours.

Pressing the right lower abdomen of a child with your hand will intensify the child's crying. The child is often accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, and then fever occurs, and the body temperature can rise to above 38.5℃.

The abdominal pain is usually not severe, but the child often lies in bed with his right leg curled up or walks with a bent back. If the child cannot express the pain in words, his crying will be different from usual, and he will curl up his body and break out in cold sweats. If the baby cries for more than several hours, parents should suspect the possibility of appendicitis.

In addition to abdominal pain, the following symptoms may also occur:

Nausea and vomiting: Most children experience nausea and vomiting, and the vomitus is mostly undigested food. Fever: Most children start to have fever shortly after the onset of abdominal pain, and some may cry and have a fever at the same time.

Afraid of having the belly rubbed: The child is afraid that the parents or doctors will press hard on the lower right abdomen, as the abdominal wall muscles there become tight, and the child refuses to have his abdomen rubbed. Some children also have atypical symptoms. For example, some children have diarrhea from the beginning, which is very similar to enteritis. Therefore, if you find that your child has the above symptoms, you should send your child to the hospital as soon as possible.

Acute appendicitis can occur in children of all ages and is relatively common.

Special reminder: Since acute appendicitis is often accompanied by fever, children with atypical abdominal pain may be easily mistaken by parents or even doctors as having a cold or diarrhea. Attention should be paid and careful observation should be given.

2. Abdominal pain caused by incarcerated hernia

Symptoms: The child has paroxysmal crying, abdominal pain, bloating and vomiting. A swelling appears on the inner side of the groin when standing or straining to defecate, or only one side of the scrotum is enlarged. This condition may recur after treatment by a doctor.

Abdominal pain may be caused by increased abdominal pressure due to children crying, coughing, laughing, sneezing, or straining (such as when defecating), which causes the intestine to enter the groin or scrotum and cause abdominal pain. Umbilical hernia and inguinal hernia are the most common hernias in children. Umbilical hernia rarely becomes incarcerated, and most abdominal pain is caused by incarceration of inguinal hernia. If your child has these symptoms, you must send him or her to the hospital for treatment immediately.

3. Abdominal pain caused by bacillary dysentery

Symptoms: The onset is often acute, with a fever of 39°C or even higher, increased frequency of bowel movements, paroxysmal abdominal pain before diarrhea, and hyperactive bowel sounds, but no obvious abdominal distension.

The child was severely dehydrated, had poor skin elasticity, and suffered from general fatigue. If vomiting is frequent, the child may be required to fast for a short period of time. The doctor may give the child intravenous fluids and symptomatic treatment. Depending on the condition, the child may be fed less greasy liquids.