Definition

Functional abdominal pain is either:

• Pain one or more times a week for two months
• Continuous pain for two months

The pain often gets in the way of daily activities and attending school.

Causes

This problem is likely caused by many factors, such as:

• Increased sensitivity to pressure from food and gas on the walls of the intestine
• Problems with how the bowels work
• Mental health problems, such as emotional stress
• Infections

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Risk Factors

Some things that may raise the risk of this problem are:

• A history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
• Stressful life events, such as being in the hospital or loss of a parent's job
• Depression or anxiety in the child or parent
• A parent with a history of gastrointestinal problems

Symptoms

Symptoms vary from child to child. Pain may come and go or be steady. It may appear suddenly or slowly get worse over time.

Problems may be:

• Pain near the belly button or anywhere in the belly
• A burning feeling under the breastbone that is not from eating
• A feeling of fullness after a few bites of food
• Pain after bowel movements

Diagnosis

You will be asked about your child’s symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. This may be enough to suspect the diagnosis.

Stool tests will be done to rule out other problems. This is often enough to make the diagnosis.

Treatment

The pain will often go away with time. The goal of treatment is to find and manage triggers. The overall goal is to return a child to normal activity. Options are:

Prevention

There are no known methods to prevent this health problem.