Study of Recurrent Abdominal Pain-RAP in Children Aged 4–18 Years living In Rural Area of Northern India

Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) is one of the most common vague and chronic complaint in school going children. It has a multifactorial aetiology with most of the affected children having no organic pathology. This study assessed the functional and organic causes for RAP in children aged 4–18 years living in rural area of northern India.

A total of 100 children attending pediatric and pediatric surgery OPDs at Rama Medical College hospital and research centre from Jan 2015 to Dec 2016 presenting with abdominal pain of various causes were prospectively included in this study. Study included 60 boys and 40 girls in the age range of 4–18 years. Inclusion criteria was abdominal pain with three or more episodes for more than three months and affecting the daily activities of child. Exclusion criteria were acute abdominal pain and incomplete data set. Some of them were admitted during this period of evaluation, underwent abdominal ultrasound, blood counts, urine and stool examination. Functional causes were also looked into all children.

Majority (60%) of patients were in the age group of 4 to 8 years with 60% males. Twenty eight patients had abnormal finding on USG i.e. mesenteric lymphadenopathy (25), ovarian hemorrhagic cyst (2) and enlarged solitary kidney (1). Most of the parents of study children had low education levels and belonged to lower socio economic families. Other laboratory findings were urinary tract infection. Psychological stressors were identified in 50 patients.

Organic pathology caused symptoms in about a quarter 28% of the cases, in most of the cases no abnormal finding was observed in children with RAP. The majority of the affected children have functional gastrointestinal diseases.