The name "acute abdomen" does not mean the disease, but the symptoms and underlying causes of the disease or damage to the abdominal cavity. Basically, an urgent operation or treatment is required to treat these symptoms after an accurate diagnosis.
The main causes of acute abdomen may be inflammatory processes in this area. Therefore, it is very urgent to respond to such symptoms and call an ambulance. Very often, such symptoms are fatal. This occurs in case of untimely provision of medical care.
Therefore, you need to respond quickly, in some cases, after the examination, the doctors immediately perform an operation, as a result of which they save the lives of their patients. Read more about clinical guidelines for acute abdomen in children.
What are the signs of acute abdomen
This is a strong and cutting pain in the abdomen, the child becomes lethargic, constantly lies, legs bent to the stomach. This pain can be manifested by a strong attack, then it becomes weaker, but do not delay with a visit to a doctor.
While the child begins to move, run, cough, the pain intensifies, these pains do not go away during sleep and during eating. At the same time, the walls of the abdominal cavity are in a state of stress.
Associated symptoms
Other signs of acute abdomen in children include primarily diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, and nausea. In addition to these symptoms, there may be chills or fever. The skin also becomes pale in color, the child has symptoms like intoxication of the body.
In most cases, when symptoms of an acute abdomen occur, the child must be urgently sent to the hospital. In rare cases, the patient's condition may be stable, it is cholecystitis or appendicitis. In all these cases, you need to urgently call an ambulance.
Causes of acute abdomen
These may be diseases requiring surgical intervention or emergency treatment. Occur in the gastrointestinal tract and in the abdominal cavity of the patient. Very often, in very young patients, the causes of such symptoms are appendicitis or bowel obstruction.
Surgical diseases include the immediate hospitalization of the child and surgery:
- This is an injury to the abdominal organs, resulting in internal bleeding.
- Appendicitis in acute form.
- Bowel obstruction.
- Violation of blood flow in the internal organs.
Diseases that require immediate treatment:
- Infectious diseases of the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Pleurisy or pneumonia.
In the case of these diseases, surgery is not required, the doctor will prescribe medication. It is worth remembering that the main guarantee of successful treatment is a correctly established diagnosis of the disease.
If in case of an acute abdomen a child (3 years old or older) is provided with unqualified help or if they go to the doctor too late, it can be fatal. What can be done to prevent this? Seek qualified medical help as soon as possible.
Diagnostics
After the diagnosis is made, the child will undergo a multilevel diagnosis. This will help the doctor determine the most accurate cause and disease itself, which must be treated with surgery or with medication.
Definition of a disease by location of pain
Depending on the location of the pain, a diagnosis of:
- If the child has pain on the right, lower abdomen, then this indicates diseases of the urinary system, kidneys or liver.
- In the event that the child feels pain in the upper left abdomen, it can be a disease of the pancreas, spleen, hernia or damage to the stomach.
- When the pain is on the right, in the lower abdomen, then this is appendicitis, inflammation of the kidneys, and a digestive system disturbance.
- Pain in the lower abdomen, on the left, is a disease of the stomach, urinary system or intestines.
These are the main symptoms, on the basis of which an initial diagnosis is made during a surface examination, then a more accurate diagnosis is made.
Analysis collection and diagnostics
When the diagnosis of "acute abdomen" is made, the child will be sent for diagnosis, where he will be carried out:
- Examination of the patient card. All the illnesses transferred by him will be revealed and the living conditions of the child will be determined. It is simply necessary for establishing a diagnosis and will allow the doctor to more accurately determine the source of pain.
- Visual examination, which helps to determine the localization of pain, the general condition of the patient. Identify additional symptoms that can indicate the type of disease. A decision will then be made on hospitalization or the appointment of a course of drug treatment.
- Examination of the entire body of the patient, checking the pulse in order to determine the exact area of pain and the zone of its spread.
- Examination of the abdomen with x-rays. Instrumental diagnostics checks for deviations from the standard circulatory system in the body.
- An ultrasound scan of the abdomen and pelvis. Thanks to this, a focus of an inflammatory or pathological process is established.
After all the above examinations are carried out, the patient will be taken blood for general and biochemical analysis. Also, the feces and urine of the small patient will be subject to verification. A blood test will allow you to establish the degree of the inflammatory process, the number of white blood cells in the blood, indicators of sugar, cholesterol, platelets and red blood cells.
When all the tests are done, an examination using ultrasound and X-rays, the doctor will establish a diagnosis and find out whether the patient needs surgical intervention or can do with drugs.
And finally, after making an accurate diagnosis, the child is given pain medication and water. The most effective option if surgery is necessary is to conduct it within the first six hours.
Treatment methods
After a small patient is diagnosed with an acute abdomen, he is immediately sent to the surgical department. In the most severe cases, all diagnostics are carried out in a hospital.
- Sometimes an immediate operation is required, then the doctor prescribes it as soon as possible. Since with such a disease, the result can be a fatal outcome, so doctors have to react quickly. Treatment of acute abdomen in children after surgery is carried out using rehabilitation therapy.
- In the second option, when treatment with medications is needed, the child is transferred to the department for therapeutic treatment. They prescribe pain medication to relieve pain. A child can stay in the ward for two to three weeks. After the child is discharged home, the doctor will prescribe medications that are acceptable to take at home. And also the date of the preventive examination of the patient after discharge will be appointed.
What can be the complications
Complications can be very diverse, it all depends on the disease. Do not forget that with this symptom, the most important thing is timely and highly qualified medical care.
Some diseases turn into a chronic form, that is, their manifestation disappears at first, and reappears over time. If you provide quality medical care to the child, then recovery is guaranteed, and in the future this disease will not lead to changes in the child's body. Therefore, the prevention of acute abdomen in children is very important. It includes immunity support and the use of only quality products.
What to do to parents before the ambulance arrives
In the event that the child feels pain in the abdomen, call an ambulance. Even if the paramedic says that everything is in order, it's okay, but the parents will know for sure.
Until an ambulance arrives, it is impossible to try folk remedies or with the help of improvised medications to eliminate the pain, this can only worsen the general condition of the child.
Also, do not give your child sweets, juices, tea, cakes and any other food that he loves to distract. After all, an operation and the collection of all tests may be necessary, sweets can interfere here.
If the doctor offers urgent surgery, you have to agree, because this means that the disease can not be cured in another way.
In conclusion, we repeat once again that the most important thing is to consult a doctor in a timely manner. After all, experienced professionals will help your child feel healthy again!