Common Pediatric Gastrointestinal Disorders.

Abstract

There is arguably no group of conditions more common and expansive in children than gastrointestinal disorders. Moreover, successful recognition, diagnosis, and management of these ailments is particularly challenging provided the breadth of potential dysfunction, as well as a general paucity of specific physical examination findings to pinpoint diagnoses. Elucidation of these conditions is made further challenging by frequent difficulty of pediatric patients to provide a detailed articulation of their symptoms. Nonetheless, a thorough history can aid in distinguishing these various diagnoses, which can be further classified into 3 categories: infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic pathology; motility disorders; and functional gastrointestinal disorders.