Epidemiology of acute abdominal pain in children presenting to the emergency room for surgery

Background. Acute abdominal pain in children are a common cause of emergent surgical intervention. Objectives. Presentation of the epidemiology of acute abdominal pain in children, based on the experience of the authors. Material and methods. The authors analyzed 1008 cases of children with acute abdominal pain reported to the emergency room for surgery in their center. Results. In study material, the majority consisted of children older than 8. Percent of patients referred to the emergency room by a family doctor was 47%. The most common reason for hospitalization was appendicitis. Conclusions. 1. Causes of acute abdominal pain in children are varied depending on age. 2. The most common cause of urgent surgical intervention in children with abdominal pain is acute appendicitis. 3. In the group of children with acute abdominal pain referred to a surgeon by a family doctor 35% of patients required hospitalization.