Causes of abdominal colic in school-age children encountered in general practice

Abstract:

Abdominal colic is one of the most frequent symptoms that brings patients to a doctor. Abdominal colic may be associated with numerous conditions and the list of its causes is long and varied. In this article, we describe abdominal colic as one of the most frequent reason of hospitalisation of children and adolescents. Aim: The primary aim was to determine the symptoms or groups of symptoms associated with abdominal colic that bring school-age children to a general practice office and the most frequent diagnoses in these children. Secondary aims were to determine the number of single and recurrent episodes of abdominal pain and possible difference in their frequency between girls and boys. Material and method: The study was designed retrospectively and carried out in a sample of 50 children with a diagnosis code R10. Results: The statistical analysis using 95% significance level showed no significant difference between girls and boys in the frequency of single and recurrent episodes of abdominal pain. Conclusion: A range of different diagnoses underlie the symptoms of abdominal colic. The abdominal pain is often accompanied with multiple symptoms at the same time, irrespective of the number of colic episodes. 

Key words:
abdomen, acute; abdominal pain; child; colic; colic, etiology