5 Digestive Issues to Look Out for in Your Child

5 tummy symptoms to never ignore in your child.  

When your child has a tummy ache, it’s difficult to know the root cause, how serious it may be, and how to help. If the pain persists over time, you may have found yourself here searching for answers.  

It's completely normal for children (and adults) to have stomach issues from time to time. All of us are likely familiar with the experience of having to run to the bathroom after a meal that didn’t sit well or having an upset stomach for a few days.  

While chronic stomach issues, such as the ones shared below, can be a sign of something more serious, it’s still relatively rare for underlying diseases like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis to be the root cause of your child’s tummy ache.  

That said, because all instances and cases are extremely unique, we hope the information shared in this article helps you and your child uncover what’s going on by facilitating an educated conversation with your pediatrician.  

Below, we get into five tummy symptoms and their potential causes.  

1. Persistent diarrhea. 

Diarrhea is a fairly common issue in children and often will go away on its own after a few days. It’s usually also accompanied by cramping, belly pain and/or swelling, nausea, and loss of appetite.  

However, if the problem persists, it could be considered chronic and could be the result of an underlying health condition, such as: 

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) 

• Ulcerative colitis 

• Crohn’s disease 

• Celiac disease 

• Lactose intolerance  

• Food allergies  

• Endocrine disorders, such as diabetes  

• Underlying infections 

2. Changes in stool color and/or blood in the stool.   

You may find occasional blood in your child’s stool due to constipation and straining, which tears the anal tissue (i.e., anal fissures and, or hemorrhoids), according to Bradley Barth, MD, MPH, the Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.   This can usually be resolved with some simple diet changes, hydration, and identifying any mental and emotional challenges (e.g., stress, anxiety, depression) in your child.   But a bad stomachache, coupled with blood in your child’s stool or black stool, could be a sign of:  

• An infection 

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis  

• Ulcers 

• Gastrointestinal bleeding 

• Hemorrhoids  

• Other intestinal issues like gastritis, polyps, or Meckel’s diverticulum 

3. Abdominal pain that won’t go away.  

Stomachaches may be the result of stress, anxiety, reactions to food, eating too much or too fast, constipation or needing to go to the bathroom, or not eating enough.  

But abdominal pain that persists could be the result of a larger problem, such as an infection, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or gastroenteritis (inflammation of your stomach and intestines).  

4. Difficulty swallowing and regurgitating food.  

Reflux and its more serious, chronic form called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is more common in adults. However, it still occurs in around 10% of all children and is more common in children over the age of 10. 

Common symptoms of reflux and indigestion are regurgitating food, nausea after meals, frequent burping or hiccups, heartburn, not wanting to eat or only eating small amounts, and pain while swallowing.  

Often reflux and indigestion are the result of eating too much too fast or eating certain foods that are acidic or spicy. 

It can also be the result of childhood obesity, inhaling secondhand smoke, taking certain medications, or a more serious underlying condition like having a weak lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a hiatal hernia, cystic fibrosis, gastroparesis, or food allergies.  

5. Fussiness or disinterest around mealtime. 

Some degree of picky eating is normal for children as they develop, such as being afraid to try new foods or only eating a narrow range of foods they’re familiar with. However, consistently refusing to eat around mealtimes could be a sign of something more serious like constipation, food allergies, or reflux. 

Although picky eating is part of a typical developmental phase in children, it may also be a symptom of something more significant.

For example, for some who are living with a neurodevelopment disorder, they may have an increased sensitivity to the taste, smell and texture of the foods that they eat. 

Picky eating can also be the result of a psychological association — for example, having a negative mealtime experience in the past — or early signs of an eating disorder like ARFID, also known as Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.  

Because there’s a degree of complexity to picky and fussy eating, we recommend discussing it with your child’s primary healthcare provider to determine what’s going on.  

When to see a pediatric gastroenterologist.  

If your child is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, we recommend consulting your child’s pediatrician as soon as possible to discuss a path forward and get a potential referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist specialist. 

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References: 

• Acid reflux (GER & GERD) in children. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Last reviewed November 2020. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-children/ 

• Barr W, Smith A. Acute diarrhea in adults. Am Fam Physician. 2014;89(3):180-189. 

• Burgers K, Lindberg B, et al. Chronic diarrhea in adults: evaluation and differential diagnosis. Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(8):472-480. 

• Definition & facts for GER & GERD in children. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Last reviewed November 2020. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-children/definition-facts 

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