Children with colic: Don't be subjective

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Resident Doctor Dang Thi Ngoan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital.
Many parents do not think that colic can also be a symptom of a certain medical condition in their child. If not diagnosed and treated in time, there will be dangerous complications for the child.

1. Abdominal pain is pain like?

Abdominal pain can be pain anywhere between the chest and groin area.
Abdominal pain has many types: Sharp pain in episodes, cramping pain, mild pain, ... The intensity and frequency of the pain does not tell the severity of the cause of the abdominal pain.
Abdominal pain can be caused by the digestive tract or it can also be a symptom of a disease that is not dangerous. However, in some cases, abdominal pain is a manifestation of a medical condition that can be life-threatening.

2. What is abdominal pain in children?

Abdominal pain in children can be a manifestation of some of the following conditions:
Children with acute appendicitis : Children of all ages can have acute appendicitis, initially children will have abdominal pain in right iliac fossa accompanied by signs of fever. Children may feel nauseous, low-grade fever accompanied by abdominal wall reactions when palpating the right iliac fossa or abdomen. Children with acute appendicitis will feel tired, nauseous, and feel pain in the navel area. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis is more difficult for children under 2 years of age because the manifestations of the disease are not typical of older children. Common signs when children under 2 years of age have acute appendicitis are: The child has a fever with abdominal pain, fussiness, vomiting, lethargy, pale skin,... Abdominal pain due to appendicitis is often mistaken. mixed with digestive disorders, many parents are subjective and buy medicine for their children to take. With this condition, the child needs to be operated on immediately, otherwise, the appendix will fester or may rupture, causing life-threatening peritonitis. This pathology is extremely dangerous if left late, so parents absolutely must not be subjective.
Children with acute intussusception: Children under 2 years of age are more likely to get this disease. Symptoms of the disease are intermittent abdominal pain, cramping pain that causes pain, crying with vomiting, pale skin or bloody stools. When these signs appear, the child should be taken to the hospital immediately. If the child is not taken to the doctor in time, it can lead to bowel necrosis. Girls with torsion ovarian cyst: The most common symptom is that the child will feel abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting. When palpating the pelvis - abdomen, there will be a tumor. Boys with testicular torsion: An increase in testicular volume can cause the child to suddenly feel pain in the testicle, and also feel pain when touching the abdomen. This is a disease that requires emergency surgery, if left for a long time, the testicles can be necrotic, the testicles come out of the scrotum through the fistula or atrophy in a few months. Children with intestinal obstruction: Symptoms of this disease are abdominal pain with vomiting and difficulty defecating. Children may have sudden and severe abdominal pain, the pain will usually last for 2-3 minutes and then subside, after a while the pain will return.

Initially, the pain will be less, but later, the intensity and frequency of the pain will be faster and stronger. Usually, the child will feel pain around the left or right belly button area, above the belly button, ... Then, the child will have pain in the whole abdomen. The main cause of intestinal obstruction in children is usually food residue. However, some children infected with worms, weak body can also get this disease. When a child has a bowel obstruction due to food residue, surgery is needed to remove the food residue. Therefore, parents should be careful when feeding their children and should periodically deworm them.
Children with abdominal epilepsy: When suffering from this disease, the child will have severe abdominal pain, sometimes it will subside, the pain is irregular, sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it hurts a little, sometimes it doesn't. violently. This disease is often difficult to detect, for effective treatment, children need to do relevant tests, especially electroencephalograms for children. Children with bile duct worms: The common symptom of this disease is sudden abdominal pain with vomiting in children, some children may even vomit worms. Children will have abdominal pain in episodes, struggling, maybe they will push their buttocks to reduce pain. Suddenly the pain subsides, the child is tired, the abdomen is slightly distended and the tumor can be palpable, this is a worm tuft in the epigastrium. Children between the ages of 3 and 7 are often susceptible to this condition. In some cases, only a small number of worms can pass through the bile duct, but in others, hundreds of worms can pass through the bile duct.
When a child has abdominal pain, parents should carefully observe their child's signs, if there are abnormal symptoms, they should immediately take the child to a medical facility. Absolutely do not be subjective and arbitrarily buy medicine for children to use.
For children to be healthy and develop well, it is necessary to have a nutritious diet in terms of quantity and quality balance. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiency causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption,... If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your child. Take care of the baby and the whole family.