Beware, 5 It Often Happens Stomach Problems in Children

When a child complains of abdominal pain, there are a few things you need to be aware of. Stomach pain can be caused by simple problems such as anxiety, but can also be serious like Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease requiring medical help.

Beware of the five types of abdominal pain most often occurs in children following, as reported by Parenting, Monday (04/03/2013), among others:

1. Constipation
Digestive disorders that cause difficulty in bowel movements can also affect babies and children. Feces were piled up in the colon, can cause discomfort or pain in the abdomen.

Stomach ache this in turn will make your child to hold the stool, which can exacerbate the problem. For infants under 6 months who have not had a solid stool, try to feed him more often.

For infants older than 6 months and toddlers, provide more fruits, vegetables, pear juice, apple or grapes and drink more water. For children older than 5 years, if action is not helping after 2 days, your doctor may suggest to use a stool softener.



For preschool age children, you can also add a fiber supplement such as psyllium, but immediately contact your doctor if these measures do not work. Your doctor may prescribe laxatives, such as Miralax or milk of magnesia for short-term relief and should not be a habit.

2. Intolerance or food allergies
If your child often experience bloating, cramps, wasting gas, or diarrhea within two hours after eating certain foods, he may have a food intolerance, the inability to digest certain food components.

Some babies who drink formula may also develop abdominal pain due to lactose intolerance, trouble digesting the sugar in milk. Food allergies can also be characterized by the emergence of symptoms of rash, itching or shortness of breath. Children can develop an allergy to nuts, eggs, fish, soy products, and other foods.

3. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
This condition causes most stomach contents back up into the esophagus and mouth, usually caused by the valve between the esophagus and stomach opens and closes at the wrong time. Symptoms such as vomiting or the so-called spit in infants, a medical term acid reflux.

Children may feel discomfort in the abdomen during or after a meal and would cry and turn away from the bottle or food. Preschool children are far less likely to spit, but may cause abdominal pain, mouth tasted sour, then the sensation to throw up but swallowed again.

Consult a doctor if your child develops GERD, your doctor may provide treatment in order to reduce the pressure and the acid in the stomach. For infants, it can be overcome by more frequent feeding and keep the baby upright for 15 minutes afterward.

For children who are older, try to avoid spicy foods, fried foods, acidic, or fatty foods, and provide late-night snacks. Antacids are generally safe for children older than 3 years, but ask for a prescription from your doctor will determine dose based on body weight.

4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
If the child has abdominal pain, bloating, change in stool appearance, and attack with alternating diarrhea and constipation, may be caused by IBS. It is difficult to diagnose IBS in children under 5 years of age, because children are not able to describe the discomfort in his stomach clearly.

The exact cause of this syndrome is unknown, but there may be a genetic susceptibility to triggers such as pain, emotional stress, disruption of routines, and the consumption of certain foods. Drugs are not effective against IBS, so you need to focus on avoiding trigger foods such as fatty foods, chocolate, caffeinated beverages, lack of sleep and irregular eating schedule.

5. Stress
Anxiety and stress can cause stomach ache children. The digestive tract contains the majority of the body's serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with mood, which can send signals to the brain.

So when your family is stressed, the child may feel overwhelmed too and abdominal pain. Children are also vulnerable to stress, especially when children experience such changes must adjust to daycare, playgroup or kindergarten entry, and even a change in routine.