Somatic differential diagnosis of chronic abdominal pain

Chronic abdominal pain is one of the most common complains in pediatrics. The epidemiology of this frequent symptomatology remains to be elucidated. Depending on the study design the prevalence of abdominal pain in children ranges between 0.3 and 19%. The majority of children suffering from abdominal pain have functional gastrointestinal disorders which can be divided into five entities: functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraine, functional abdominal pain and functional abdominal pain syndrome. Approximately 10-15% of children with abdominal pain have an underlying disease causing the complaint. In most cases a detailed medical history and a thorough examination which focuses on red flag signs, combined with some laboratory values and ultrasound of the abdomen will suffice to reveal the underlying disease. The present review provides an overview of the most common differential diagnoses. © Springer-Verlag 2012.