ACTA FAC. MED. NAISS. 2006; 23 (3):  171-175

   Professional article

Danijela Jojkic-Pavkov

Institute of Child Youth Health Care Novi Sad

    Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) is defined as abdominal pain which occurs at least once a month for minimum three months and is of such severity that it interferes with the child's daily activities. RAP presents a great burden to both the child and parents, and considering its tendency to recur, it significantly affects the whole family's comfort and functioning. Since RAP can be caused by different kinds of abdominal and extra-abdominal diseases, the differential diagnosis may be very difficult. On the basis of its clinical presentation, RAP can be differentiated into three types - recurrent isolated paroxysmal abdominal pain, abdominal pain associated with symptoms of dyspepsia, and abdominal pain associated with altered bowel pattern – therefore, diagnostics of the underlying cause, it will depend on the type of pain.

    Key words: recurrent abdominal pain, child, diagnosis