Lower Abdominal Pain in Children

Pain in the lower children is not a medical condition in itself. It is a symptom that may be a manifestation of something else in the body. Children may describe the pain as belly pain or tummy ache. For adults, the pain is tolerable, but not for little ones. This symptom may be mild or severe. Also, for some kids, it may be short-lived, while an ongoing one for others. What is important to know is that, pain in the abdomen may indicate a problem in any part of the area, and not just the stomach. The abdomen is the area that lies between the chest and the pelvis, and it comprises the stomach, liver, spleen, appendix, pancreas, etc. So a problem in any of these organs, may manifest into pain in the lower or the upper abdominal area in children or adults. The rest of the article will discuss some more facts of this condition.

Factors Behind Abdominal Pain in Children

As you can read from the above description, the abdomen comprises so many organs thus, there could be a myriad of factors which can cause this condition. The most common ones have been put down below:

• Appendicitis - Here, the appendix becomes inflamed and gets filled with pus.
• Diverticulitis - this condition refers to the inflammation of one or more diverticula (small growths in the digestive system)
• Endometriosis - this is also one of the common causes of lower abdominal cramps. This occurs when the tissues that lie inside the uterus, happen to grow out of it.
• Intestinal obstruction - as the name suggests, this refers to some blockage that is caused in the small intestine or the colon. It prevents the passage of food and fluids thus, giving rise to pain the abdomen.

Factors such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), stomach flu, bladder inflammation, food poisoning, and poisoning from other substances may also cause chronic or acute abdominal pain in children.

Symptoms

This pain, sometimes, might be accompanied by some additional symptoms, which could be due to an underlying medical cause. These symptoms are:

• If the cause is a severe one, then the pain may last for more than 24 hours, otherwise, it may subside before than that.
• If the pain is felt to be originating from the center of the abdomen, then this is a good sign, as it happens in mild cases. If the pain is felt elsewhere, then the situation might be a severe one.
• Nausea/vomiting
• Pale appearance, listlessness, and perspiration.
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Pain in the groin area
• Painful urination
• Skin rash

Treatment

The main aim of the treatment is to determine the cause of the pain. Once the cause is dealt with, the problem resolves on its own. However, for mild cases, doctors usually recommend parents to ensure that their child is getting proper rest, and a liquid diet (for infants, it must contain dehydration liquids available over-the-counter. Pedialyte is a popular example). For older children, soup broth is good enough. When symptoms start improving, parents can help their child make a transition from the liquid diet to a solid diet; toast or crackers are the best to begin with. If the symptoms do not show any signs of improvement, and instead worsen with time, then taking the child to a pediatrician would be wise decision.

Lower abdominal pain in children, in most cases, do not raise any severe concerns. This is more true in children who are otherwise healthy. However, the pain may also be a sign of something else. So it is better not to take chances with your kids, and visit a doctor at the earliest.