Gastroenterology

At Wesley Children’s Hospital, children receive expert care from a multidisciplinary team of pediatricians, surgeons and medical professionals. Parents need to know about the digestive health problems that can impact children and adolescents, and see a doctor if these health issues persist.

A pediatric gastroenterologist specializes in treating diseases and health conditions related to the digestive system and the gastrointestinal tract. Health issues that impact a child’s digestive system can include common ailments like stomach pain or diarrhea, along with more serious health problems like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and severe liver conditions.

With its medical and surgical team, Wesley Children’s Hospital treats a wide array of pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, including:

• Chronic abdominal pain
• Appendicitis
• Celiac disease
• Colic
• Constipation
• Crohn’s disease
• Diarrhea
• Dysphagia
• Duodenal atresia
• Esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula
• Esophageal foreign bodies
• Food allergies
• Gall bladder disease
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)/heartburn
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Intestinal malrotation/volvulus
• Intussusception
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Lactose intolerance
• Liver disease
• Pancreatitis
• Poor weight gain/malnutrition
• Pyloric stenosis
• Short bowel syndrome
• Stomach and duodenal ulcers (peptic ulcers)
• Viruses, bacteria and intestinal parasites in the digestive tract
• Vomiting
• Weight loss

It’s not uncommon for a child to tell a parent that their stomach hurts. But when does a child’s stomach pain indicate something more serious? Here are some of the more common symptoms of digestive health problems in children, and when it’s time to consult your child’s doctor or pediatrician:

• Vomiting — Vomiting can indicate a viral infection, motion sickness, food poisoning or throwing up due to a kid feeling nervous or worried about something. Vomiting could also be a sign of certain serious diseases, like meningitis or appendicitis. Call your pediatrician if your child has recurrent vomiting, vomits up blood or bile, is unable to keep liquids down or is not acting normally.
• Stomach pain — Abdominal pain could indicate constipation, diarrhea, food poisoning, stomach flu or stomach inflammation. Pain in the abdomen area could also be a sign of food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), appendicitis or pneumonia. Take your child to the doctor if stomach pain is severe, persists for more than a few days, is associated with weight loss or is keeping them from normal activity.
• Constipation and diarrhea — In children, constipation could be a sign of a low-fiber diet, lack of fluids in the body, IBS, diabetes or the stress of potty training. Consult a pediatrician if your child has blood in their stool, is vomiting and can’t tolerate liquids, has diarrhea with severe abdominal pain or has diarrhea after traveling outside the country.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) occurs when the contents of the stomach back up into the esophagus, which can cause heartburn. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, this type of acid reflux can happen in children and teens occasionally, but does not necessarily mean that they have GERD. Up to 25 percent of children and teens have symptoms of GERD, but the disease is more common in adults. If left untreated, GERD can lead to more serious health conditions, including respiratory problems. Symptoms of GERD include bad breath, nausea, chest pain, painful swallowing, trouble breathing and vomiting. See a pediatrician if your child is displaying any of these symptoms.