Background & Aims : Chronic (Recurrent) abdominal pain (CAP) is one of the most common complaints in childhood, and defined as abdominal pain attacks at least three consecutive months and affect normal functions of children. CAP is divided into two organic and non-organic (functional) categories. Ninety percent of CAP in children was thought as functional, previously. While with advancement of technology and doing more investigations such as endoscopy, this amount is reduced recently. In this study we reviewed findings of children who undergo endoscopy with recurrent abdominal pain.

  Materials & Methods : After approval of the university ethics committee, this descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted between the years 2009 to 2011with census sampling in endoscopy ward of Motahari hospital of Urmia. The 1-15 year old children who referred due to chronic abdominal pain and had epigastric tenderness in physical examinations, without any cause for their abdominal pain, were enrolled to study after obtaining written consent from their parents.

  Results : From 250 children with mean age of 8.06 ± 3.1 years, who underwent upper endoscopy, 106 patients (%42.4) were male and 144 patients (%57.6) were female. Pathologic findings in biopsies were reported for 192 patients (76.8%) 111 female (57.8%) and 81 male (42.2%). Only 58 patients (23.2%) with mean age of 7.48 ± 3 had functional abdominal pain. Histopathology of biopsies were reported for 142 children (%56.8) gastritis, 86 children (34.4%) esophagitis and 60 children (24%) duodenitis. Some of the patients had more than one site involvement. Helicobacter pylori infection was positive for 72 children (28.8%) with the mean age of 8.5 ± 2.9 years.

  Conclusion : The findings this study concluded that the most chronic (recurrent) abdominal pain in the children has organic causes and it is better to be investigated by a pediatrics gastroenterologist. 

  SOURCE: URMIA MED J 2014: 24(11): 941 ISSN: 1027-3727