Abdominal pain masqueraders in preschool and primary-school-age children

Abdominal pain, one of the most common complaints of patients visiting pediatrician and gastroenterologist, is a multifactorial syndrome. Thus, physicians often need to generate challenging differential diagnoses. Thorough gathering of the medical history and physical examination are the best tools for making diagnosis. However, in some cases it is necessary to use laboratory tests and instrumental methods. In some cases, the search for effective treatment of abdominal pain becomes a difficult task requiring a multidisciplinary approach for developing symptom management strategies. The article presents a literature review focused on the issues of acute and chronic abdominal pain in children and summarizes the latest trends in performing patient examination and making differential diagnosis. Emphasis is made on the differential diagnosis of conditions considered as the most common causes of abdominal pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders classified according to Rome IV Criteria. The article elucidates the latest therapeutic approaches to the management of pain abdominal syndrome and considers mechanisms that may be involved in its pathogenesis. KEYWORDS: children, acute abdominal pain, chronic abdominal pain, functional gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, abdominal migraine, Rome IV Criteria, trimebutine. FOR CITATION: Medvedeva E.A., Khavkin A.I. Abdominal pain masqueraders in preschool and primary-school-age children. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2023;6(2):175–183 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2023-6-2-175-183.