Epidemiological, Clinical, and Diagnostic Aspects of Chronic Abdominal Pain in Children: A Study in Shahrekord, Iran

Background and aims: Due to the multi-factoriality of chronic abdominal pain (CAP) in children, thisstudy aimed to assess the main etiologies for CAP in children and its main determinants in a sample ofthe community of affected children living in Shahrekord, Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on ۴۰۰ children aged ۳-۱۴ years who werereferred to a referral clinic in Shahrekord, Iran in ۲۰۲۲. Abdominal pain at least ۳ times in ۳ months,which disrupted daily activities, was the criterion for entering the study. A checklist was prospectivelyfulfilled by interviewing to assess different aimed data.Results: The majority of children complained of periumbilical pain as the main site of chronic pain,and other pain points were much less common. The main characteristics that provided grounds forsuspecting this type of pain included right abdominal pain without clear justification, growth disorder,and severe vomiting. The most common definitive diagnosis was functional constipation, followed bychronic gastritis and fecal impaction.Conclusion: The occurrence of periumbilical pain, along with the occurrence of severe and frequentvomiting and growth failure can be considered diagnostic markers triad when suspecting the occurrenceof CAP. The most common etiologies for such pains included functional constipation, chronic gastritis,and fecal impaction.

Keywords:

Abdominal pain , Children , Epidemiology , Diagnosis