الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) is one of the most commonly encountered symptoms in
childhood and adolescence. It accounts for 2-4% of all pediatric office visits.
This study investigated the clinical and pathological aspects of CAP in 150 Egyptian
school children aged 5-15 years, aiming at identifying the prevailing etiology,
distinguishing clinical features and the most appropriate diagnostic approach. The study
also highlighted the effect of CAP on the health-related quality of life and the diagnostic
and “possible” therapeutic rule of endoscopy.
All patients included in the study were subjected to thorough history taking, clinical
examination and initial laboratory investigations according to a designed algorithm, and
were classified into organic and pain-related FGIDs groups. Parents and children of the
study and control groups answered a translated Arabic version of the PedsQLTM Generic
Core Scale to assess the possible effect of the disease on the child’s health-related quality
of life.
The results showed that children with organic causes constituted 72% of patients,
compared to 28% with pain-related FGIDs; which reflects the spectrum in a tertiary care
settings. Pain-related FGIDs were significantly higher in older children (8-15 years, 78.6%
vs. 62.4%) and in higher socioeconomic status.