Common Childhood Maladies

Children and Stomach Pain It would be rare indeed if your child never got a stomach ache, as this is one of the most common problems children complain about. There can many things that can cause stomach pain, and sometimes it may require a visit to the doctor to find out the cause. The stomach ache could be caused by food, insect bites, infections, poisoning etc. What Causes Stomach Pain A virus or bacteria also cause many stomach pains. The stomach flu or gastroenteritis may cause stomach pain. Gastroenteritis is caused by inflammation and irritation of the stomach and the gastrointestinal passage. When traveling you must use extra care, as the food or drinks may be contaminated at some places that don't practice good hygiene. This can lead to a case of diarrhea and stomach pain. If the stomach pain is caused by a viral infection, it will normally pass quickly but bacterial infections will require the use of antibiotics. In either of these cases these cases, some children will recover rapidly by vomiting and excreting. If your child has a case of diarrhea, you need to give them plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Food Poisoning Some food related stomach pains can be due to food poisoning, food that produces a lot of gas, eating too much and food allergies. If the problems are due to food allergies they will be temporary but can cause bloating. Some symptoms of food poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. Normally these symptoms will develop within 2 days of consuming the contaminated food.

Depending on the severity of the food poisoning they may experience chills, fever, bloody stools, or even damage to the nervous system can occur. Over 200 diseases are known to be transmitted via food. Food can be poisoned because of toxic agents or infective agents. Infective agents are parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Toxic agents are uncooked food, exotic foods or use of antibiotics.