What are the symptoms of functional abdominal pain

Many people have experienced abdominal pain. Some people cannot stand up when the abdominal pain is severe. Under normal circumstances, as long as the cause of the abdominal pain is found and symptomatic treatment is given, the symptoms of abdominal pain will disappear. Functional abdominal pain refers to frequent abdominal pain that recurs frequently. If there are at least three abdominal pains per month, it falls into the category of functional abdominal pain.

What are the symptoms of functional abdominal pain?

1. Continuous or almost continuous abdominal pain.

2. There is no evidence that abdominal pain symptoms are related to physiological activities (such as eating, defecation or menstrual cycle).

3. Abdominal pain affects daily activities.

4. Pain exists objectively and is not a disguise.

5. The patient’s abdominal pain symptoms cannot be explained by other functional gastrointestinal diseases.

treat

General treatment

Determine the treatment goals. Patients should be informed that the treatment goals of FAPS are the same as those of chronic arthritis and other diseases, and are to relieve symptoms and improve function. FAPS patients need regular follow-up. Generally, after 2 or 3 follow-up visits, a doctor-patient relationship of mutual trust can be established. Thereafter, the follow-up time can be extended to once every 2 to 3 months.

Drug treatment

Antidepressants and antianxiety drugs: Antidepressants, especially tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), can simultaneously exert analgesic and antidepressant effects and relieve pain in FAPS patients. There are only a few controlled clinical trials, and the results are inconsistent. TCAs are more effective at relieving pain than newer antidepressants such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Newer antidepressants called serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are more effective in relieving pain.

Psychotherapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help patients recognize their own erroneous thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, improve their ability to control symptoms, and enable them to learn to deal with the tremendous inner pressure caused by stressful events or anxiety. If doctors use psychotherapy as an auxiliary treatment method and a means to relieve pain and reduce the adverse psychological stress caused by physical symptoms, patients will be happy to receive psychotherapy.