Acute abdomen in children due to extra-abdominal causes.
BACKGROUND
Acute abdominal pain in children is a common cause for referral to the emergency room and for subsequent hospitalization to pediatric medical or surgical departments. There are rare occasions when the abdominal pain is derived from extra-abdominal organs or systems. The aim of the present study was to establish the most common extra-abdominal causes of acute abdominal pain.


METHODS
The notes of all children (1 month-14 years of age) examined for acute abdominal pain in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of Alexandroupolis District University Hospital in January 2001-December 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic data, clinical signs and symptoms, and laboratory findings were recorded, as well as the final diagnosis and outcome.


RESULTS
Of a total number of 28 124 children who were brought to the A&E department, in 1731 the main complaint was acute abdominal pain. In 51 children their symptoms had an extra-abdominal cause, the most frequent being pneumonia (n = 15), tonsillitis (n = 10), otitis media (n = 9), and acute leukemia (n = 5).


CONCLUSIONS
Both abdominal and extra-abdominal causes should be considered by a pediatrician who is confronted with a child with acute abdominal pain.
Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace-Medical School, Alexandroupolis, Greece. atsalkid@med.duth.gr
Aggelos
A
Tsalkidis
Stefanos
S
Gardikis
Dimitrios
D
Cassimos
Katerina
K
Kambouri
Evanthia
E
Tsalkidou
Savas
S
Deftereos
Athanasios
A
Chatzimichael
D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis