title: Practical management of functional abdominal pain in children.
abstract: Functional abdominal pain (FAP) is common in childhood, but is not often caused by disease. It is often the impact of the pain rather than the pain itself that results in referral to the clinician. In this review, we will summarise the currently available evidence and discuss the functional dimensions of the presentation, within the framework of commonly expressed parental questions. Using the Rome III criteria, we discuss how to classify the functional symptoms, investigate appropriately, provide reassurance regarding parental worries of chronic disease. We outline how to explain the functional symptoms to parents and an individualised strategy to help restore function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Poole, Dorset, UK.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Beattie
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Poole, Dorset, UK.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Tighe
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004032:Diet; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods; D005192:Family Health; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence
keywords: Gastroenterology; General Paediatrics; Paediatric Practice