Abdominal cramps in a child can be a sign of overeating, poor intestinal motility, physical overwork, and nervous system failure. Pain is usually associated with diarrhea and vomiting.
The term "stomach pain" is used to refer to all kinds of cramps that a child experiences in the upper abdomen. Sometimes pain is localized below. They can be acute or chronic.
Understanding what caused a child's spasms will help alleviate his suffering and provide him with comfort.
Why does the stomach hurt in very young children, preschoolers and adolescents?
What causes abdominal cramps? The reasons for the child may be different. Much depends on age. Pain in the stomach in a child at 1 year old is identical to the causes in adults. A rare exception is the presence of gallstone disease in a baby.
Pain in the tummy of a child of 3 years is often caused by the presence of acute appendicitis, peritonitis or diverticulitis.
Abdominal cramps in a 5-year-old child may be of a functional nature. They are not associated with pathological changes in the gastrointestinal tract.or failure of other organs. You can compare such pain with migraine in adults.
What can cause abdominal cramps in primary school children? The reasons for a child of 8 years old are the presence of diseases that occur in a chronic form. For example, it can be gastritis, gastroduodenitis, pancreatitis.
The diet of a child at preschool age is already similar to an adult. The kid owns a spoon and a fork, has preferences in food. Many attend kindergarten.
With spasms at 6 years of age, the suspicion of a gastrointestinal disease is considered last. Causes such as enterovirus, dysentery or helminthic invasion come to the fore. In some cases, they may indicate problems with the kidneys and liver.
According to the observation of many pediatricians, it is not so often to hear from a child at 3 years of age complaints of abdominal pain. Sometimes parents do not believe their child, thinking that he does not want to go to kindergarten. Of course, there are such cases, but children do not always tell lies.
Abdominal spasm in a 3-year-old child can be both acute and chronic. Often the first case occurs. This condition in medicine is called "acute abdomen". In the vast majority of cases, the presence of an intestinal infection or acute intestinal obstruction is established.
A distinctive feature of chronic pain is often recurring colic. The main causes of this condition may be violations of the gastrointestinal tract of a functional nature. Ages 3 to 6dysbacteriosis and chronic constipation are common. One of the leading causes is the defeat of the stomach with worms.
Colic in infants
Colic occurs in infants up to six months. They can be described as unexplained abdominal cramps that babies experience from time to time almost from birth.
Such pains are diagnosed in 20% of babies. In addition to the fact that the pains are stable, children with similar spasms suffer from the bonding of stools and gases. This is the reaction of the child's body to the wrong food or low-quality food.
Also, colic can be a signal of intolerance to the milk sugar contained in mother's milk. The reason may be that the baby is bottle-fed. The vast majority of children get over this problem after 4 months.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
This ailment is often observed in infants. The disease provokes severe abdominal cramps in the child, which cause crying. As a rule, this condition is observed periodically. If you have a suspicion of this disease, then you should contact your pediatrician, who will recommend the necessary tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Presence of gastritis
Gastritis is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa. It occurs in both acute and chronic forms.
Illness can be caused by eating spicy foods, chronic vomiting, stress, poor diet, or somedrugs, such as Aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs.
If a child's gastritis is not treated, it can lead to the development of stomach cancer.
Constipation
Constipation is often the cause of severe pain in the stomach of a child. They appear suddenly and pass just as quickly.
Such abdominal cramps in a child (2 years old) are observed when going to the potty on their own. Often, babies suffer from constipation in the event that the act of defecation is carried out at the reflex level at the request of adults, and not from nature.
Pain during constipation is concentrated in the left side of the abdomen. An additional symptom is nausea. Increasing fiber intake and drinking will help the child cope with this ailment.
Food Allergy
Cramps can also be caused by food to which the child is allergic. Such a painful reaction of the body can cause ordinary meat, fish, smoked products, citrus fruits, eggs and chocolate.
As a rule, a rash appears on the skin of a child with an allergy. It may be dry or wet. With diathesis, small bubbles form, which itch a lot.
Allergies can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea and even vomiting. Often, dysbacteriosis is formed, which causes the appearance of liquid or strong stools. Food allergies can cause a runny nose, bronchial spasms and coughing.
Indigestion
Abdominal cramps, gurgling, and heaviness, as a rule, accompany diarrhea in children. Diarrheacan be caused by viruses and bacteria, and also be the result of food poisoning and the presence of worms.
Worm infestation
A pinworm infection can cause stomach cramps. This condition occurs if the infection has developed too deeply. Pain in the abdomen with helminthic invasion is accompanied by bloating and copious gases. This condition can cause cramps and indigestion.
Abdominal spasm in a 6-year-old child can also be caused by roundworms. Weaving into lumps, helminths can cause intestinal obstruction. As a result, the child loses his appetite, weight decreases, the temperature rises from time to time, nausea, vomiting with an admixture of bile appear, the head often hurts, sleep is disturbed, fears and nervousness appear. Roundworms can cause severe spasms in the biliary tract, provoke the development of purulent cholecystitis and liver abscess.
Ascariasis can also affect a child in preschool age. Helminth larvae penetrate the baby's body even during intrauterine development. They enter it through the placenta of an infected mother. Ascaris maturation takes place in the small intestine. The length of helminths reaches 30 cm.
If you suspect that your child has worms, you should be tested and determine what kind of worms he is concerned about. Different treatments are used for each type of parasite.
Enterovirus
This is the so-called rotavirus infection or intestinal flu. The infection enters the gastrointestinal tract. Most often this flu affects children aged six months to 2 years. Rotaviruscan be transmitted through food and dairy products, as well as through contact through contaminated toys, underwear and household items.
Incubation of influenza is 1-2 days, rarely a week. The onset of the disease is acute, the symptoms reach their maximum after 12-24 hours.
The main complaints of children include mild abdominal cramps. Often, a rumbling is heard from it. Sometimes he puffs up. Body temperature rises within 2 days. Loss of appetite, frequent urge to vomit. Within 3-6 days, the baby's stool is liquid, similar to foam. You may also experience symptoms such as runny nose and cough.
Children who are bottle-fed are more susceptible to intestinal flu.
Indigestion
Abdominal cramps in a child, aggravated by a deep breath of the baby, occur, as a rule, with diarrhea. They are categorized as intensive by doctors.
The disorder can be caused by eating too much food, drinking too much soda or juices.
Anxiety and stress
Neurological stomach cramps are most common in children between 5 and 10 years of age. These pains can be compared to the flight of butterflies in the stomach. The symptoms of a nervous breakdown are the same as those of diarrhea.
A child suffering from this type of pain can last for hours. He often sits on the toilet for long periods of time to get relief.
Stomach cramps caused by stress usually disappear with the elimination of the source of irritation of the nervous system. It is also possible that for a childdecreased importance of the traumatic event.
Urinary tract infection
Stomach cramps can be caused by a urinary tract infection. As a rule, such pains are intense. Additional symptoms are frequent painful urge to urinate. Such infections can cause nausea, chills, and vomiting. If you suspect this disease, you should consult a doctor.
Appendicitis
When a child feels strong spasms, the presence of appendicitis is not excluded. It should be noted that the disease is a rare cause of spasms, but certainly belongs to the category of the most dangerous.
If you suspect that you have appendicitis, you should immediately contact a specialist.
Spasms caused by appendicitis can worsen over several hours. The pains are concentrated in the lower right part of the abdomen, as well as in its middle. Appendicitis causes vomiting, nausea, and chills.
Who should I contact if I suspect a serious illness?
Which doctor should I contact if my child has stomach cramps? If there is such a phenomenon, it is advised to go to a pediatrician or gastroenterologist. It is necessary to conduct appropriate examinations and analyzes. Only a doctor can determine the cause of this condition and prescribe the appropriate course of treatment.
When to seek medical attention?
Most cramps are caused by normal gas accumulation, but there are times when stomach pain is intenseand causes nausea, diarrhea and fever. In this case, ignoring such a state is simply unacceptable.
You need to see a doctor in the following cases:
- Pain in the stomach of a child is intense, it does not go away for 2 hours;
- discomfort aggravated by sudden movements;
- colic is common;
- cramps cause fever;
- colic caused skin rash, baby has a pale face;
- pain leading to bloody vomiting or greenish discharge;
- baby has black streaks in stool;
- child experiencing pain when urinating;
- the child complains of sharp cramps in all areas of the abdomen.
What steps should I take before visiting a doctor?
There are a number of measures to help relieve abdominal cramps in a child:
- You should ask the child to lie still for 20 minutes, lay him on his back and bend his knees. This is the most optimal posture for relieving stomach cramps.
- It is advised to apply a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel or a heated bag of s alt to the stomach. So you can alleviate the condition of the child.
- You can give your child clean water to drink, but you should be careful. The child should not take liquid too much and quickly. This can increase pain and induce vomiting.
- Carefully and slowly massage the baby's abdomen in a clockwise direction. It follows the direction of the digestive system. This manipulationhelp reduce spasms.
- Give your child tea with lemon, which should be sweetened with a couple of teaspoons of honey. This drink helps to relax the contracting muscles. Weak ginger tea is also highly effective in relieving spasms. But most children refuse to drink it because of the peculiar smell and taste.
- Invite the child to go to the toilet. Sitting on the toilet is a great way to get rid of excess accumulated gases.
Important information
Is it possible to use medicines on my own to alleviate the child's condition? Abdominal cramps are not recommended for self-treatment. Do not give your child any medication. It is dangerous to eliminate abdominal cramps in a child without consulting a specialist. Laxatives can aggravate pain, disrupt the digestive tract. Painkillers can mask serious symptoms and misdiagnose the disease.
