The name "acute abdomen" does not refer to a disease, but to the symptoms and underlying causes of disease or damage to the abdominal cavity. In general, these symptoms require urgent surgery or treatment after an accurate diagnosis.
The main causes of an acute abdomen can be inflammation in this area. Therefore, it is very urgent to respond to such symptoms and call an ambulance. These symptoms often lead to death. This happens in case of delayed medical care.
Therefore, you need to respond quickly, in some cases, after examination, doctors immediately perform an operation, as a result of which they save the lives of their patients. Read more about clinical guidelines for acute abdomen in children.
What are the signs of an acute abdomen
This is a strong and cutting pain in the abdomen, the child becomeslethargic, constantly lying, legs bent to the stomach. This pain can come on with a strong attack, then become weaker, but do not delay in contacting a doctor.
While the child starts moving, running, coughing, the pain will intensify, these pains do not go away during sleep and in the process of eating. At the same time, the walls of the abdominal cavity are in a state of tension.
Associated symptoms
Other symptoms of an acute abdomen in children include diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, and nausea. In addition to these signs, there may be chills or fever. Also, the skin becomes pale in color, the child has symptoms as if intoxication of the body.
In most cases, when symptoms of an acute abdomen occur, the child must be urgently sent to the hospital. In rare cases, the patient's condition may be stable, it is cholecystitis or appendicitis. In all these cases, you need to urgently call an ambulance.
Causes causing an acute abdomen
These may be diseases that require surgery or emergency treatment. Arise in the gastrointestinal tract and in the abdominal cavity of the patient. Very often, in very young patients, appendicitis or intestinal obstruction becomes the cause of such symptoms.
Surgical diseases involve the immediate hospitalization of the child and the operation:
- This is an injury to the abdominal organs, resulting ininternal bleeding.
- Acute appendicitis.
- Intestinal obstruction.
- Impaired blood flow in the internal organs.
Diseases requiring immediate treatment:
- Infectious diseases of the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Pleurisy or pneumonia.
In case of these diseases, surgery is not required, the doctor will prescribe medication. It is worth remembering that the main guarantee of successful treatment is the correct diagnosis of the disease.
If a child (3 years or older) with an acute abdomen is given unskilled help or sees a doctor too late, it can be fatal. What can be done to prevent this? You need to seek qualified medical help as soon as possible.
Diagnosis
After the diagnosis is made, the child will undergo multi-level diagnostics. This will help the doctor to determine the most accurate cause and the disease itself, which must be treated with surgery or medication.
Determination of the disease by the location of pain
Depending on the location of the pain, the diagnosis can be assumed:
- If a child has pain on the right, in the lower abdomen, then this indicates diseases of the urinary system, kidneys or liver.
- In the event that the child feels pain at the top leftstomach, it can be diseases of the pancreas, spleen, hernia or damage to the stomach.
- When the pain is on the right, in the lower abdomen, then it is appendicitis, inflammation of the kidneys, a violation of the digestive system.
- Pain in the lower abdomen, on the left, these are diseases of the stomach, urinary system or intestines.
These are the main symptoms, on the basis of which an initial diagnosis is made during a superficial examination, then a more accurate diagnosis is carried out.
Collection of analyzes and diagnostics
When the diagnosis of "acute abdomen" is made, the child will be sent for diagnostics, where it will be carried out:
- Research of the patient's card. All the diseases he has suffered will be identified and the conditions of the child's life will be determined. This is simply necessary to establish a diagnosis and will allow the doctor to more accurately determine the source of the pain.
- Visual examination, which helps to determine the localization of pain, the general condition of the patient. Identify additional symptoms that can indicate the type of disease. A decision will be made immediately about hospitalization or the appointment of a course of drug treatment.
- Examination of the entire body of the patient, checking the pulse in order to determine the exact area of pain and the zone of its distribution.
- Examination of the abdominal area using x-rays. Instrumental diagnostics checks for deviations from the standard circulatory system in the body.
- Checking with ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis. Due to this, a focus of inflammatory or pathologicalprocess.
After all the above examinations are carried out, the patient's blood will be taken for general and biochemical analysis. The feces and urine of a small patient will also be tested. A blood test will determine the degree of the inflammatory process, the number of leukocytes in the blood, indicators of sugar, cholesterol, platelets and red blood cells.
When all the tests are done, an examination using ultrasound and x-rays, the doctor will establish a diagnosis and find out whether the patient needs surgery or medicines can be dispensed with.
Finally, after an accurate diagnosis is made, the child is given pain medication and water. The most effective option if surgery is needed is to have it done within the first six hours.
Treatment methods
After a small patient is diagnosed with an acute abdomen, he is immediately sent to the surgical department. In the most severe cases, all diagnostics are carried out in a hospital.
- Sometimes an immediate operation is required, then the doctor prescribes it as soon as possible. Since with such a disease the result can be fatal, therefore, doctors have to respond quickly. The treatment of acute abdomen in children after surgery is carried out with the help of rehabilitation therapy.
- In the second option, when medical treatment is needed, the child is transferred to the ward for therapeutic treatment. They prescribe painkillers to relieve pain. In the departmentthe baby can stay for two to three weeks. After the child is discharged home, the doctor will prescribe medications that can be taken at home. A date will also be set for a preventive examination of the patient after discharge.
What could be the complications
Complications can be very diverse, it all depends on the disease. Do not forget that with this symptom, the most important thing is timely and highly qualified medical care.
Some diseases become chronic, that is, their manifestation first disappears, then reappears over time. If you provide quality medical care to the child, then recovery is guaranteed, and in the future this disease will not lead to changes in the child's body. Therefore, the prevention of acute abdomen in children is very important. It includes immune support and eating only quality products.
What parents should do before the ambulance arrives
If the child feels pain in the abdomen, call an ambulance. Even if the paramedic says that everything is in order, it's okay, but the parents will know for sure.
Until the ambulance arrives, you can’t try to eliminate the pain with folk remedies or with the help of improvised medicines, this can only worsen the general condition of the child.
Also, do not give your child candy, juice, tea, cake, or any other food he likes to distract. After all, you may need an operation and the collection of alltests, sweets can get in the way here.
If the doctor suggests urgent surgery, you will have to agree, because this means that the disease cannot be cured in any other way.
In conclusion, we repeat once again that the most important thing is to see a doctor in a timely manner. After all, experienced professionals will help the child feel he althy again!
