Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Complete Issue PDF
    • Archive
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Blog
  • Multimedia
    • Teaching Slides
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • CME/MOC
    • CME Quizzes
    • MOC Claiming
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
American Academy of Pediatrics
Internet-Only Article

Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Recurrent Abdominal Pain

David Gottsegen
Pediatrics in Review May 2010, 31 (5) e36-e39; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.31-5-e36
David Gottsegen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF
  1. David Gottsegen, MD*
  1. *Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Mass.
  • Author Disclosure

    Dr Gottsegen has disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this article. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device.

Introduction

Recurrent or chronic abdominal pain is a common and often perplexing condition, affecting between 15% and 35% of the pediatric population worldwide. Apley (1) first defined recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in 1958 as at least three episodes of abdominal pain sufficient to disrupt a child's daily activities over the previous 3 months.

At the time of Apley's study, only 5% of cases were found to have an organic cause. With newer diagnostic methods, up to one third of cases of RAP may be found to have organic causes. “Red flags” that might indicate specific organic diseases are: a family history of inflammatory bowel disease, fever, weight loss, night awakening, anemia, bloody stools, and localized tenderness.

Most children who do not have specific organic disorders have functional RAP. The causes of functional abdominal pain still are poorly understood but are believed to be due to autonomic dysfunction or visceral hypersensitivity to stimuli such as intestinal bowel gas, an acute trigger such as a viral gastroenteritis, an increased central perception of pain, and altered bowel habits such as constipation. Perception of pain is mediated by temperamental, cultural, and psychological factors, such as anxiety or depression, and social stressors, such as learning difficulties and family stress.

Functional abdominal pain may be categorized into four specific disorders, as described by the Rome III criteria for functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders: functional dyspepsia, functional abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and abdominal migraine. Postprandial abdominal pain, with feelings of bloating, gas, or heartburn, is classified as dyspepsia and may be associated with gastroesophageal reflux. IBS is characterized by cramping pain with alteration in bowel movements. Episodic abdominal pain …

Individual Login

Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

Institutional Login

via Institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 days for US$25.00

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

Offer Reprints

PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics in Review: 31 (5)
Pediatrics in Review
Vol. 31, Issue 5
1 May 2010
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Recurrent Abdominal Pain
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Recurrent Abdominal Pain
David Gottsegen
Pediatrics in Review May 2010, 31 (5) e36-e39; DOI: 10.1542/pir.31-5-e36

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Recurrent Abdominal Pain
David Gottsegen
Pediatrics in Review May 2010, 31 (5) e36-e39; DOI: 10.1542/pir.31-5-e36
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Introduction
    • Biobehavioral Methods
    • Diet and Natural Health Products
    • Physical Methods
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Global Child Health
  • Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Therapies for Learning Disabilities
  • Ethics for the Pediatrician
Show more 33

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Gastroenterology
    • Gastroenterology
  • Complementary & Integrative Medicine
    • Complementary & Integrative Medicine
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • ABP Content Specifications Map
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics