Care for Stomachaches and Digestion Problems

Stomachaches are very common in children. Often children get stomachaches for the same reasons adults get headaches—stress or worry. But stomachaches can signal more serious problems. Our pediatric gastroenterologists work with dietitians, psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose and treat stomach, digestion and intestinal disorders in children.

These specialists work with your child and you to discover why there are problems. They may perform tests to evaluate the intestines, check the amount of acid reflux into the esophagus, determine calories required for proper growth or evaluate how well the liver is working.

Among the conditions we diagnose and treat:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Acid (gastroesophageal) reflux
• Difficulty swallowing
• Failure to thrive
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Lactose intolerance
• Hepatitis
• Jaundice in newborns
• Short bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Celiac disease
• Pyloric stenosis
  

One of the ways we diagnose children with lactose intolerance and other digestive problems is with a hydrogen breath analyzer. The test detects when the amount of hydrogen in the breath is greater than it should be. Hydrogen is present when digestive enzymes in the upper small intestine don’t effectively digest carbohydrates, so those carbohydrates are instead digested by bacteria in the large intestine. Digestion by the bacteria produces hydrogen gas, resulting in cramping and bloating.

To prepare for the test, your child is required to fast overnight. The day of the test, your child drinks samples of carbohydrates. Then he blows into a bag every 30 minutes for up to three hours. Results usually are available the next day.

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