Recurrent abdominal pain

Question 1

What is the incidence of recurrent abdominal pain in schoolchildren?

Answer 1

occurs in about 10% of school-age children

Question 2

What is the typical location of recurrent abdominal pain?

Answer 2

characteristically periumbilical

Question 3

What are the two main causes of recurrent abdominal pain?

Answer 3

Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD) and Organic causes of recurrent abdominal pain

Question 4

What are red flags that suggest an organic cause of recurrent abdominal pain?

Answer 4

• persistent pain away from the umbilicus (such as right upper or lower quadrant pain)
• persistent vomiting
• Family history of inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, or peptic ulcer disease
• epigastric pain at night
• vomiting blood (duodenal ulcer)
• diarrhoea, weight loss, growth faltering, blood in stool (inflammatory bowel disease)
• dysphagia (eosinophilic oesophagitis)
• dysuria, secondary enuresis (urinary tract infection)
• night time waking
• gastrointestinal blood loss
• peri-anal disease
• delayed puberty

Question 5

What is the 4P model of formulation in psychiatry?

Answer 5

• protective factors
• predisposing factors
• precipitating factors
• maintaining factors