Stomach pain in children: know the causes, symptoms, and how to deal with them

Children often experience stomach aches, either suddenly or after eating something. In fact, your little one can feel annoyed to the point of being fussy with an uncomfortable stomach condition. Generally this condition is not dangerous, but there are some symptoms and signs of stomach pain to look out for. Then, what causes stomach pain and how to treat stomach pain in children? The following is the full explanation.

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Symptoms of stomach pain in children

Abdominal pain in children often does not cause harm or other health problems. Generally, stomach pain can be characterized by various other symptoms such as:

• Mild fever
• Gag
• Diarrhea

However, parents still have to see the development of stomach pain in their little one, whether it is getting better over time or vice versa.

Abdominal pain conditions in children to watch out for

Abdominal pain conditions can interfere with children's activities. Although it is often considered trivial, there are some unusual signs of stomach pain that need doctor's attention.

Quoted from Harvard Health Publishing, some of which are:

The child is fussy and has pain when urinating

The meaning of excessive pain is when the child continues to feel pain and cannot be distracted.

This is accompanied by the little one who continues to cry or fuss because of discomfort.

When your child complains of abdominal pain accompanied by pain when urinating, call the doctor immediately. This is because stomach pain can also sometimes be a sign of a urinary tract infection.

Stool contains blood

Usually, blood in the stool will be found when the child has constipation or constipation which is not a serious problem.

However, if the child has a stomachache and has bloody stools, this can be a sign of a serious infection, for example, such as inflammation of the digestive tract or other gastrointestinal problems.

So, when you find blood during bowel movements, immediately take your little one to the doctor as a safe step to ascertain what really happened.

Vomiting blood or vomiting green

Almost similar to blood in a child's stool, vomiting sometimes accompanied by blood is not necessarily a sign of a serious problem.

The reason is, children can vomit blood because of minor problems. For example, a child has a nosebleed and has a broken or loose tooth.

However, if the child continues to vomit blood until it turns greenish, consult a doctor immediately. Green vomit can be a sign of a dangerous intestinal blockage.

Signs of anaphylaxis occur

Anaphylaxis is the most serious type of allergic reaction and is often accompanied by vomiting. But not only vomiting, signs of anaphylaxis are bumps on the skin, feeling tired, short of breath, until the face is swollen.

If this happens, you need to take your little one to the doctor as soon as possible and maybe even the emergency room.

Have a high fever and cough

Stomach pain can be a sign of a serious infection, such as pneumonia. Currently, many viruses can cause stomach pain along with coughing.

However, if the cough lasts a long time or if the stomach pain gets worse until the child has difficulty breathing, consult a doctor immediately.

Apart from high fever and coughing, feeling sleepy when in pain can be a sign that your child is not just experiencing an infection. But also decreased blood pressure or blood loss.

Weight loss

A sign of a dangerous stomachache in a child is weight loss in the little one.

Although losing weight when diarrhea or vomiting is common, it still needs to be watched out. Especially when the weight doesn't increase even though things are getting better.

Causes of stomach pain in children

Stomach pain can be caused by various digestive disorders in children. Some of the common causes of stomach pain in your little one are:

Constipation or constipation

The most common cause of stomach pain in children is constipation or constipation.

In this condition, the child may not be able to tell the difference between how difficult it is to defecate, so that all he feels is stomach pain.

If your little one complains of abdominal pain in the navel area or lower left abdomen, ask him when he last had a bowel movement.

If it's been a long time, it means that the child has a constipation problem which can be caused by a child's diet that lacks fiber.

Gastroenteritis

This condition is caused by an infection that is often called the stomach flu, vomiting, or gastroenteritis in medical terms.

This is a condition when the child experiences vomiting accompanied by diarrhea which makes the stomach uncomfortable.

Food allergies

If the child has an allergy to certain foods, it can cause stomach pain in the child.

For example, a child has an intolerance to lactose in milk or its processed products.

Quoting from Kids Health, food allergies can disrupt the immune system and damage the body.

Children who have allergies to certain foods must avoid them so that serious problems do not occur in the future.

Fullness

Too much eating can also cause stomach upset in children. The little one, who is enthusiastic about the food in front of him, can eat quickly and with gusto. This affects the discomfort in the stomach.

Bloated

Quoting from Scripps, the condition of flatulence or too much gas can also be felt by children, not only adults.

This condition can be caused by an improper diet, such as:

• Too often drinking soft drinks
• Eating nuts
• Spicy food
• Caffeine

Caffeine is not always contained in coffee, but also chocolate, so it can accumulate gas in the stomach if eaten in excess.

Stress can cause stomach pain in children

Can children be stressed? Of course. Children who are feeling stressed or worried may immediately experience stomach pain.

Still quoted from Scripps, Dr. Bhasin explained that stomach pain that has no clear cause and recurs can be caused by stress.

Parents can ask their little one what they feel and worry about, then let the child tell the story.

Appendix

This condition is characterized by pain in the lower right side of the child's stomach. If your little one complains of severe pain and even moves a little, it can be the cause of the appendix.

Appendicitis or appendicitis often occurs in children and adolescents, usually over the age of 5 years.

How to deal with stomach pain in children

Generally, stomach pain can heal on its own. However, to help with recovery, there are a number of things you can do:

• Gently massage the child's stomach to help pass gas.
• Compress the stomach with warm water.
• Avoid eating before bed (at least 2 hours apart).
• Eat fiber-rich foods if you have an upset stomach due to constipation.
• Avoid eating too much until you are full.
• Give abdominal pain relievers such as ibuprofen.

For medicine, you can consult your doctor to get the right medicine.

When is it time to see a doctor?

If you have done various ways to deal with stomach pain in children and have not improved, you need to consult a doctor.

There are several conditions that need to be seen by a doctor, namely:

• Stomach pain lasts more than an hour and is constant.
• The child has a fever above 38 degrees Celsius.
• Children under 12 months of age.
• Pale face, sweaty, lethargic, and doesn't want to drink.
• Pain in the groin.
• There is a skin rash that stings when touched.
• Difficulty urinating
• There is blood when vomiting and defecating.

These symptoms are some of the abdominal pain conditions in children that need special treatment. Immediately contact the doctor so that the child can be handled quickly.