Researchers in the Netherlands find a surprisingly high prevalence and long duration of chronic abdominal pain among children consulting in primary care.
Analyzing data from a 12-month prospective study of 305 children ages 4 to 17 years who visited a primary care physician for abdominal pain, researchers found most had or developed chronic abdominal pain – pain at least one time a month during at least three consecutive months that has an impact on daily activities.
Chronic abdominal pain was present in 47 percent of the children at the initial visit, and 79 percent fulfilled the criteria for abdominal pain at one or more of the follow-up points (three, six, nine and 12 months).
The median duration of abdominal pain was 8.3 months, with children aged 10 to 17 years having the longest duration (median = 9 months; (interquartile range = 7.5-12.4 months). Notably, girls had chronic abdominal pain more frequently during follow-up than boys (relative risk = 1.23; 95 percent, 0.94-1.61) and duration was longer in girls (median = 9.0 months vs. 7.5 months).
Given this poor prognosis, the authors call for follow-up of these children.
Prognosis of Abdominal Pain in Children in Primary Care—A Prospective Cohort Study, By Yvonne Lisman-van Leeuwen, PhD, et al, University of Groningen, the Netherlands