Many parents are faced with situations where the child's lower abdomen hurts. Such symptoms are usually associated with the process of inflammation or dysfunction of the digestive tract, reproductive or urinary system. Stool retention, intoxication, bacterial infection, or mechanical damage can also cause abdominal discomfort. Several common causes of this condition are discussed in sections of the article.
Factors causing discomfort
The digestive system of juveniles is more unstable than that of adults. This is due to the fact that the organs of the gastrointestinal tract are sensitive to the effects of various circumstances. Factors that are common explanations for why a child's lower abdomen hurts include:
- Wrong diet. Abuse of food containing a large amount of carbohydrates and proteins disrupts the functions of the stomach andintestines. The child develops flatulence, nausea, discomfort in the peritoneum. The lack of useful microelements also negatively affects the state of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Insufficient fluid intake. A small amount of water causes stool retention. Therefore, there is a situation in which the child's lower abdomen hurts.
- Ignoring hygiene standards. Unwashed hands are sources of helminths and microbes.
- Features of the structure of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Individual food intolerance.
- Mechanical damage to the peritoneum.
- Emotional overstrain.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, inflammation in the pancreas and intestines, cholecystitis).
Intoxications and infections of the gastrointestinal tract
Poisoning cases are not uncommon in underage patients.
After eating spoiled food, the child has cramps in the lower abdomen, frequent, loose stools, vomiting, fever, weakness. Discomfort affects either the entire abdominal cavity or part of it. Similar symptoms are also characteristic of an intestinal infection caused by harmful bacteria entering the body. In this condition, the baby has a very high temperature, loose stools with fragments of blood and mucus.
Peritoneal discomfort in girls
If the lower abdomen hurts in a female child, the cause of this phenomenon may be acute inflammation in the bladder.
At the same timethere is frequent excretion of urine with blood fragments. The desire to visit the toilet is accompanied by discomfort of a cutting nature. Unpleasant sensations may appear due to inflammation in the reproductive organs. Cysts in the gonads cause pain in the lower abdomen, general malaise. Therefore, when a girl sees a doctor about abdominal pain, she must be examined by a gynecologist.
Probable Causes of Discomfort in Male Children
If a boy has a malaise, the cause may be an exacerbation of chronic inflammation in the prostate gland or cystitis. If a small patient has a high temperature and chills, discharge from the urethra, infection with mycoplasma, chlamydia, or other infectious agents is likely to have occurred. If such symptoms occur, it is necessary to show the child to a urologist.
Colic in babies
Such disorders of the digestive system are often observed in babies in the third or fourth week after birth. They usually disappear on their own after about 3 months. Colic in the abdomen of a child occurs both during breastfeeding and against the background of the use of the mixture. Experts say that this phenomenon is not considered a pathology. It is a process of adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract to environmental conditions. But sometimes colic is associated with individual intolerance to the substances that make up the milk or mixture. When a child's lower abdomen hurts, his face becomes red, he closes his eyes, clenches his hands into fists, and cries. The baby hasflatulence, abdominal muscle tension, regurgitation.
If you have these symptoms, you should contact your pediatrician. The specialist, as a rule, recommends that the nursing mother review her diet. A woman needs to exclude spices, chocolate, milk, drinks containing caffeine. Some vegetables and fruits: bananas, cabbage, beans, plums, radishes, grapes are also undesirable. If the baby is on artificial nutrition, the pediatrician selects a mixture that does not provoke discomfort.
Inflammatory process in the appendix
Parents are always worried when the baby complains of pain in the lower abdomen. What could it be? It is very important to clearly know the cause of discomfort in order to properly deal with it. Unpleasant sensations in the peritoneal region often indicate the presence of a dangerous pathology, for example, an inflammatory process in the appendix. The disease is manifested by discomfort around the navel. As the disease progresses, the pain gradually moves to the lower abdomen. Unpleasant sensations have a pulling and cutting character. The patient is disturbed by bouts of vomiting, frequent, loose stools. The muscles of the press are tense. There is an increase in temperature.
If there are signs that indicate inflammation of the appendix, you can not self-medicate. Need to call an ambulance.
Intestinal obstruction
This condition in babies is explained by blockage of the organ by accumulations of helminths, swallowed objects, stones or tumors. With this diseasepain in the lower abdomen of the child. Unpleasant sensations are cramp-like in nature. The patient is worried about flatulence, stool retention, bouts of vomiting with the smell of feces. Bowel obstruction is a medical emergency.
Pain in the left side of the peritoneum
There are pathologies that are accompanied by discomfort in the right side from above or below. These are inflammatory processes in the gallbladder, appendix. However, sometimes small patients experience discomfort in the opposite part of the peritoneum. What is the reason for this condition? To understand the possible cause, you need to know what is in the left side of the lower abdomen. Organs located in this area include:
- Spleen. Its defeat occurs with leukemia. This process is accompanied by discomfort and an increase in the volume of the organ.
- Small intestine. Pain is often a sign of blockage. In addition, they can be explained by the inflammatory process in this organ.
- The large intestine. The reason for the discomfort is the disruption of his activities.
Having an idea of what is in the left side of the lower abdomen, we can assume why the child experiences discomfort in this area of \u200b\u200bthe peritoneum. However, only specialists can explain the exact cause of the ailment.
Stool retention
Every child experiences this condition sometimes. It is an explanation of why the lower abdomen hurts at times. When fecal masses do not go away for 1-2 days, you can feel unwellcope on your own. However, a longer delay leads to complications. The patient needs medical attention. If a child is constipated, how to help him?
Means containing lactulose and beneficial bacteria help to cope with such a pathology. These are Normaze, Bifiform, Acipol, Duphalac.
Other gastrointestinal disorders
Sometimes abdominal discomfort results from a bowel disorder. Failure can occur if there are too many harmful bacteria in this organ and not enough beneficial microorganisms. With such an ailment, the patient has discomfort in the peritoneum, loss of appetite, flatulence, skin rash, problems with falling asleep and with stool. Diarrhea and pain can also be caused by individual sensitivity to certain products. In such a situation, patients should follow a diet.
The cause of discomfort in the peritoneum in children is often the process of inflammation in the gallbladder. It develops as a result of past infections (flu, tonsillitis, salmonellosis), anomalies in the structure of the organ. The acute form of cholecystitis is accompanied by loss of appetite, yellow skin tone, bouts of nausea, diarrhea.
Diagnostic measures
Pain in the peritoneal region is explained by many different factors. It is possible to establish the exact cause of the disease only after examinations. Therefore, it is necessary to show a small patient to a specialist. If there is severe discomfort, call an ambulance. In a hospital settingthe following diagnostic procedures are carried out:
- Biomaterial analysis.
- Ultrasound.
- Tomography.
- Irrigoscopy.
- Examination by specialists in surgery, gastroenterology, gynecology or urology.
Therapy is prescribed by the doctor depending on the results of the diagnosis. Many parents are interested in the question of what to give a child for abdominal pain. In a situation where the cause of the disease is unknown, analgesics are contraindicated. They make it difficult to diagnose and worsen the condition.
Help at home
If a child’s lower abdomen hurts, the following tips will help ease his well-being:
- Compliance with bed rest.
- Drinking enough fluids.
- If a child is hungry, he should eat a little. But the diet must be treated with caution. In the early days, you need to limit yourself to low-fat broth with breadcrumbs. When the condition improves, you can offer baked apples, mashed bananas, boiled rice.
- What to give a child for abdominal pain caused by a violation of the gastrointestinal tract? If the patient has an inflammatory process in the stomach or intestines, you need to use the drugs prescribed by the doctor, for example, antacidsmedicines.
Water should be drunk regularly, in small portions, especially in the presence of diarrhea and bouts of vomiting. This will prevent dehydration. Juices, soda, milk, coffee and tea are not allowed.
