Intestinal colic symptoms and treatment in children

Intestinal colic in adults – causes and treatment

The term "intestinal colic" is used to describe subjective pain in the abdomen and, unfortunately, it is possible that each person in the framework of this concept may represent various types of pain. Moreover, for a preliminary assessment of the possible causes of abdominal pain in adults is important a more accurate description of pain (dull, astringent, stable, paroxysmal, spasms, etc.).

Causes of colic in adults can be found, as in the organs of the digestive system, and reproductive system. If a gastrointestinal illness is an infrequent event that is not accompanied by other serious symptom, there is no need to visit a doctor. Reasons why stomach aches, can consist of irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, which is regulated by itself.

Spasms may be accompanied by diarrhea, constipation or bloating. If you are not able to cope with the problem, with ordinary OTC medicine, there is a need to visit a doctor, and in the case of repeated problems of unknown origin, you can refer to a specialist – gastroenterologist.

The reason why you may experience stomach cramps often described menstruation. In contrast to abdominal pain, the origin of which is unknown, in this case, you can use some of the painkillers OTC drugs and report the problem to your gynecologist.

More clearly defining pain is abdominal colic, i.e. persistent binding attacks when alternates a few minutes of acute pain with equally long periods of calm. Colic can occur in various organs, primarily in the gall bladder, the intestine and kidney, and also indicate the presence of obstacles in the cavity of the organ, which the body tries to overcome by reducing. If no relief occurs, you may need to appeal to the specialist, where the doctor will inject pain medicine (antispasmodic) and advises on other appropriate actions.

Attention! Stomach cramps can be a symptom of poisoning by plants, chemicals and mushrooms!

Intestinal colic in children – symptoms, causes and treatment

Every parent definitely pays attention when the child begins to complain of abdominal pain, as ignoring these problems can lead to serious health complications. Colic may disturb the child at any age, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 6 years and beyond…

Abdominal pain can be sudden and acute or chronic. Pain, usually associated with other symptoms that should be noted.

Colic in children

A manual for the physician is, above all, the age of the child, because babies and young children Express their problems, crying and eating disorder, sometimes vomiting, diarrhea, or bloating. In this case, obviously, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Babies often become anxious. Infant intestinal colic is abdominal pain that is associated with an excess of gases in the intestines are evident not only crying because of the discomfort, but also bloating, disorders of defecation and frequent belching.

If the child has a tendency to infant colic, it can feed more often to write properly to burp may help abdominal massage.

The older children (e.g. 5 years) abdominal pain has many causes, not onlyorganic which is characterized by disorders or damage to the abdominal organs, but also functional, which cannot be explained by structural or biochemical changes, and show impaired function of the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract.

Is there a possibility to do something at home?

Acute abdominal pain in children of preschool and school age (from 5 years), it is advisable to consult a doctor. What treatment to provide to the child before? First of all, do not offer him anything to eat. You can drink only a small amount of water in small doses. Be sure to measure the temperature and to control the quality and amount of faeces or vomit. Other important information can be abdominal trauma, previous child's nutrition, contact with infectious disease colleagues or family. An important symptom is abdominal pain, associated with sleep and localization of pain.

It is desirable to bring to the doctor a urine sample, preferably in a sterile test tube, because you need to eliminate the inflammation of the urinary tract or in the analyses of the urine can be detected by violations of the liver or pancreas.

Sudden sharp pain – what to do

If the pain is severe and acute, the child is crying from pain, it is recommended to lay him on his back with knees bent and put a cold compress on the belly. Home treatment involves analgesics! At a higher temperature can be used antipyretic suppositories (this method is excluded in the case if the child has severe diarrhea). If the baby repeatedly vomits, you should lay him on his side to prevent aspiration of vomit. In case of a sudden sharp pain in the abdomen it may be appendicitis, so it is necessary to reckon with the fact that the ambulance immediately take the child to the hospital.

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract

Abdominal pain also accompanies acute gastroenteritis, a viral or bacterial inflammation of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.

After an incubation period (1-7 days, usually 5 days), this disease leads to multiple watery bowel movements, possibly with mucus or blood. Temperature and vomiting precede or accompany the disease, but the presence of these symptoms is not a prerequisite.

Abdominal pain with fever and diarrhoea is more typical for bacterial intestinal infection. Colic, vomiting, cough with fever, and later with diarrhea indicate the presence of a viral infection.

No "grandma's recipes"!

If the doctor diagnoses acute gastroenteritis is important, regardless of the culprit, the diet in the intestinal colic, which your doctor will recommend. Avoid different the outdated recipes such as a diet of sausages, dark chocolate or ice-cold Coca-cola!

Ideal for filling liquid special solutions for children, which it is advisable to have at home (you can buy them in a drugstore without a prescription). This is especially important for younger children or preschool age, as timely rehydration will prevent further damage of the intestinal mucosa, including abdominal pain and diarrhea. Of course, along with rehydration, you must enter a correct diet that contains rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, carrot soup, and applesauce.

Even children suffer from psychosomatic medicine

If the baby is sleeping quietly, the pain wakes him from his sleep, and is localized around the navel, most likely, we are talking about the so-called functional abdominal pain relating to psychosomatic disorders. They are characterized by continuous or nearly continuous abdominal pain (especially in school or adolescence) and simplified (or almost not easier) in the context of physiological functions such as nutrition, menstruation, defecation.

Recurrent abdominal pain that affect normal activity, suffering from 5% to 15% of school-age children and 90-95% of them do not have organic disease. These problems include the so-called irritable bowel syndrome that is more common in adolescents and is characterized by alternating constipation and diarrhea with abdominal pain that are relieved after bowel movement. May be mucus in the stool, bloating.

Another disease, the so-called functional dyspepsia, is characterized with recurrent abdominal pain, mostly located above the navel in the upper abdomen and associated with meals. This disorder manifests itself, first and foremost, bloating, nausea, belching.

Treatment of functional pain

Child with functional abdominal pain, in contrast to the child with organic disease, has normal laboratory tests, including abdominal ultrasound. Treatment of functional pain is often long-term, in this case, it is necessary to evaluate predisposing factors (e.g. stress), it is often necessary to change diet and lifestyle in General. Sometimes it is useful a psychologist or psychiatrist. The goal of therapy is to decrease stress and tension a child with all his normal activities and school attendance.

First of all, we should exclude organic diseases

As a rule, whenthe diagnosis of abdominal pain is necessary to exclude organic disease. When compiling a medical history, the doctor needs to know whether the pain associated with eating, defecation, whether the child suffers from pain, even at night. Symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, can also help in the diagnosis. It should also be noted, increases the temperature, is there pain and swelling of joints, headaches, skin manifestations may aphthae. Warning signs is recurrent abdominal pain, especially localized in other places besides the belly button, pain at night, stop a child's growth, diarrhea and vomiting or constipation.

Baby intestinal colic may, but need not, have a clear reason

Soreness in the tummy is not always have a clear pathogen. So it's good to know what you should pay attention to and what to tell the doctor.

Why is there pain?

Colic can be acute, can have long-term or recurrent in nature. Abdominal pain in a child may be associated with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. However, it can be a sign of disease in other organ systems. It should not be possible to exclude the Association of pain with some kind of mental disorder of the child, which also is not uncommon.

Points out that only about 30% pain in the abdomen in children has a specific cause in health.

In other cases, the cause of problems is not fully sequenced. The parents of the child repeatedly visit the doctor, but does not receive. Every doctor first to exclude the presence of appendicitis, which requires urgent surgical intervention. It is also necessary to assess whether the reason for the difficulty of the nature of the organic disease, which requires treatment.

The main role of parents is to help the doctor in diagnosis. Parents know their child best, and should be able to describe the nature of his illness.

So, what to look for and what to tell your doctor?

1. What is the nature of pain (pressure, cramps, colic, etc.)?
2. How long difficulties?
3. If the problem is associated with food intake, or what time is most dire?
4. When the last child goes to the toilet, looked like stools (consistency, color, additives, parasites, etc.)?
5. Is there vomiting or the urge to her?
6. Depart if the child Gaza?
7. When the baby last peed, how does urine urination accompanied by painful symptoms?
8. As and when the child last eat?

What is important for parental attention?

In connection with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is always important that parents pay attention to what type of pain tummy child. Is it a feeling of pressure, tingling or spasms, where it is localized, have any difficulties depending on food intake etc.

A very important fact is the duration of the problems and what helps to alleviate the condition. An important indicator is information about the baby's stool, its consistency, the presence of impurities of blood, mucus, food debris or parasites. Data on repeated diarrhea or constipation is also very important. Not the last role appetite – good or bad.

How to act?

In fact, with repeated abdominal pain should never exclude acute disease. These include appendicitis or broken digestive system. Therefore, if the course of the typical problems of adverse disorders, you should always consult with a physician.

If the child is simultaneously present and high temperature, is not excluded acute disease. Often, we are talking about inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. This requires the study of the gastrointestinal tract, diet and increased amount of liquid.