What causes pain around the umbilicus in children?

When children are sick, parents are the ones who are most worried, especially when children have pain around the belly button. There are many reasons for this, but when children have this phenomenon, it is best for parents to take the baby to the hospital for relevant examinations in time. After finding out the cause, parents should actively cooperate with the doctor's treatment and be sure to observe carefully when taking care of the baby.

Pain around the navel in children is often related to ascariasis, but chronic enteritis, gastric ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome can also often cause pain around the navel. Its symptoms include: dull abdominal pain, diarrhea, pain at irregular times, and long-lasting pain.

1. Chronic enteritis: Chronic enteritis is mostly developed from incomplete treatment of acute enteritis, which can cause frequent pain around the umbilicus or lower abdomen, but the pain is not severe and there may be no diarrhea. There is often abdominal tension, difficulty in defecation (the number of bowel movements may increase), and pain before and after defecation. Sometimes it is also accompanied by loss of appetite, abdominal distension, fatigue, etc. Berberine or other drugs that inhibit intestinal inflammation can be taken for treatment. Chinese medicine such as regulating qi, strengthening the spleen, and reducing inflammation is also effective. Commonly used Chinese patent medicines include Lizhong Pills, Xianglian Pills, and Xiangsha Liujunzi Pills.

2. Gastric ulcer: Gastric ulcer pain is most common around the navel and under the sternum, often accompanied by belching or acid reflux, repeated vomiting, poor appetite, aggravated abdominal pain after eating, and sometimes vomiting blood or bloody stools. Gastric ulcers in children are mainly related to children's picky eating, uneven hunger and fullness during the three meals, and improper balance of hot and cold temperatures. In recent years, it has been found that academic stress, mental pressure and lack of outdoor activities are also important factors leading to this disease. If you have ulcer disease, in addition to taking anti-ulcer drugs as prescribed by the doctor, you should also pay attention to diet regulation, reduce mental burden, let your children participate in more extracurricular activities or physical exercise as much as possible, and ensure adequate sleep time. By scientifically adjusting children's diet and daily life, childhood ulcers can be prevented and easily cured.

3. Irritable bowel syndrome: Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease of gastrointestinal motility disorder, also known as "allergic colitis." The main symptoms are recurrent abdominal pain, which may be located around the navel or in the left lower abdomen, and alternating constipation and diarrhea may occur. Most of the time, the abdominal pain worsens before defecation and eases after defecation. Each bowel movement is small in volume and often contains mucus in a jelly-like state. This disease is often caused by mental factors, dietary discomfort or inability to adapt to the external environment. Because this disease often recurs, patients often seek medical treatment from many places, but suffer from the lack of good solutions. When diarrhea occurs, Imodium, Smectite, etc. can generally be used for treatment. When the abdominal pain and bloating are severe, you can take some antispasmodic and analgesic tablets (such as belladonna tablets or propantheline, etc.) in appropriate amounts. Recently, a study by the gastroenterology department of a hospital concluded that berberine (berberine hydrochloride) has a very obvious therapeutic effect in relieving the abdominal pain and diarrhea (or mucous stool) caused by this disease. For patients with constipation, berberine can be used in combination with drugs that regulate gastrointestinal motility (such as metoclopramide).

How to prevent abdominal pain in children

1. Eat a balanced diet

Children's diet should be nutritionally balanced, and they should eat regularly, at fixed times and in fixed quantities. They should eat less raw, cold, fried or grilled food, and avoid spicy and indigestible food to prevent irritation and damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

2. Cleaning children’s hands

Pay attention to the cleanliness of children's hands. Wash hands before eating and do not eat rotten, spoiled or expired food to prevent germs and parasite eggs from entering the mouth and causing disease.

3. Drink more water

Drink more boiled water and add a small amount of sugar to suit your child's taste. Drink less cola and other carbonated drinks, as these drinks can easily damage children's stomachs.

4. Avoid catching a cold in the abdomen

You must protect your baby's belly and don't let it get cold. Even on a hot day, you should use a small cloth bag to protect the belly and don't let the belly be exposed. An exposed belly is most likely to catch cold and get sick. Pay attention to climate changes, add or remove clothes in time to avoid catching a cold in the abdomen. At the same time, strengthen physical exercise to prevent colds, pneumonia, otitis media and other diseases.

5. Massage and hot compress

If the baby's stomach pain is indeed caused by physical stimulation of the intestines, appropriate massage and hot compress can be given, but be careful to massage slowly and gently to avoid damaging the internal organs. The water temperature for hot compress should not be too high. It is best to place the hot water in a hot water bottle and wrap it with a towel to prevent burns.

6. Promote breastfeeding

If you are feeding your baby artificially, be sure to dilute the milk appropriately and sterilize the tableware. It is best to boil or steam sterilize them once a day. Food should be fresh and clean.

7. Feed regularly and quantitatively

Add complementary foods gradually on time, but do not add starchy or fatty foods too early or too much, nor change the types of food suddenly.