Differential Diagnosis for Abdominal Pain in a Child
Single Most Likely Diagnosis
- Constipation: This is a common cause of abdominal pain in children, often due to a low-fiber diet, dehydration, or poor bowel habits. The pain is usually intermittent and accompanied by changes in bowel movements.
Other Likely Diagnoses
- Viral Gastroenteritis: This condition, often caused by norovirus or rotavirus, leads to abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. It's highly contagious and common in children.
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): UTIs can cause abdominal pain, especially in the lower abdomen, along with symptoms like dysuria, frequent urination, and fever.
- Functional Abdominal Pain: Also known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in some cases, this condition involves recurring abdominal pain not explained by other medical conditions, often associated with changes in bowel movements or relieved by defecation.
Do Not Miss Diagnoses
- Appendicitis: Although less common, appendicitis is a critical diagnosis to consider due to the risk of perforation and peritonitis. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain that may start around the navel and then moves to the lower right abdomen, fever, and vomiting.
- Intussusception: A condition where a part of the intestine slides into an adjacent part, causing bowel obstruction. It's a medical emergency and presents with severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and sometimes bloody stools.
- Pyloric Stenosis: More common in infants, this condition involves narrowing of the pylorus, the passage between the stomach and small intestine, leading to projectile vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis can cause chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue.
Rare Diagnoses
- Meckel's Diverticulum: A congenital anomaly of the small intestine that can cause abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, or obstruction.
- Hirschsprung's Disease: A congenital condition affecting the large intestine, leading to severe constipation or intestinal obstruction.
- Abdominal Migraine: A condition causing recurrent episodes of abdominal pain, often accompanied by other migraine symptoms like headache or nausea.
- Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP): A form of vasculitis that can cause abdominal pain, along with a characteristic rash, joint pain, and kidney involvement.