Recognizing peptic ulcers in children

Ask:

My 10-year-old son has recently had a dull pain in the epigastric region, especially after eating, and this condition usually goes away on its own. So, does he have a duodenal ulcer? Can you advise me, doctor?

Hoai Thuong (Hanoi)

Most children have stomachaches when they have peptic ulcers (illustrative photo).

MSc. Dr. Duong Thi Thuy, Pediatrics, Medlatec General Hospital answered:

Children with peptic ulcers are often nonspecific and easily confused with other diseases. Accordingly, parents should note the following signs of suspected disease:

The most common suggestive symptom is abdominal pain, according to studies, 81-97% of children with peptic ulcers have this symptom and this is the most common symptom at medical facilities.

However, abdominal pain in children is often not the same as in adults. The location of abdominal pain can be above the navel or around the navel. Abdominal pain is irregular, sometimes pretending, often related to meals (before or after meals), recurring. Therefore, parents often think that their children have pain due to digestive disorders, abdominal pain from worms, etc., so they are subjective, causing children to discover gastric and duodenal ulcers late.

In fact, many cases of undiagnosed and untreated gastric and duodenal ulcers can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding...

The second symptom is that children often have nausea and vomiting, many children are hospitalized by their parents with this symptom. According to research, children with nausea and vomiting account for 30-47% of children with gastric and duodenal ulcers.

Many children have symptoms of belching and heartburn, this condition occurs in about 25-30% of cases of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Many children have symptoms of loss of appetite due to abdominal pain, bloating, and nausea, so they are lazy to eat.

This symptom is a consequence of gastritis, or peptic ulcer, or gastrointestinal bleeding causing chronic anemia. In addition, the child has pale skin, pale mucous membranes and palms, fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, and difficulty concentrating.

When children have one of the above signs, parents should take them to specialized medical facilities for timely examination and treatment.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nhan-biet-viem-loet-da-day-ta-trang-o-tre-nho-192250227215215565.htm