Top Ten Serious Causes of Abdominal Pain

The sudden onset of intense abdominal pain is the first sign of intussusception, an abdominal emergency generally affecting children under 2 years old. The severe abdominal pain is usually intermittent but can reoccur, increasing in both intensity and duration. The warning sign is a loud, anguished crying. A child may draw the knees to the chest while crying. Intussusception results when one part of the intestine slides into the next portion. Consequently, it creates a blockage which leads to decreased blood flow, irritation and swelling. Decreased blood flow leads to intestinal tissue death. As the condition progresses, a child becomes weaker, develops a fever and can go into shock.