The course of mental health problems in children presenting with abdominal pain in general practice.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the course of mental health problems in children presenting to general practice with abdominal pain and to evaluate the extent to which abdominal pain characteristics during follow-up predict the presence of mental health problems at 12 months' follow-up.


METHODS
A prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up.


METHODS
53 general practices in the Netherlands, between May 2004 and March 2006.


METHODS
281 children aged 4-17 years.


METHODS
The presence of a depressive problem, an anxiety problem, and multiple non-specific somatic symptoms at follow-up and odds ratios of duration, frequency, and severity of abdominal pain with these mental health problems at follow-up.


RESULTS
A depressive problem persisted in 24/74 children (32.9%; 95% CI 22.3-44.9%), an anxiety problem in 13/43 (30.2%; 95% CI 17.2-46.1%) and the presence of multiple non-specific somatic symptoms in 75/170 children (44.1%; 95% CI 36.7-51.6%). None of the abdominal pain characteristics predicted a depressive or an anxiety problem at 12 months' follow-up. More moments of moderate to severe abdominal pain predicted the presence of multiple non-specific somatic symptoms at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
In one-third of the children presenting to general practice for abdominal pain, anxiety and depressive problems persist during one year of follow-up. Characteristics of the abdominal pain during the follow-up period do not predict anxiety or depressive problems after one-year follow-up. We recommend following over time children seen in primary care with abdominal pain.
Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC–University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Marieke J
MJ
Gieteling
Yvonne
Y
Lisman-van Leeuwen
Jan
J
Passchier
Bart W
BW
Koes
Marjolein Y
MY
Berger
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies