Recurrent abdominal pain in children in developing countries frequently has an organic basis

A total of 1,602 children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) were admitted to the Department of Paediatric Surgery at Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi, India during the period August 1974 – December 1990. The children included in the study had had three or more episodes of pain persisting for more than 3 weeks. Major causes were worm infestation, abdominal tuberculosis, giardiasis, amoebic colitis, and urinary tract lesions (67.1%). Organic lesions were identified in 89.5% of patients, and only in 18 cases was RAP attributed to psychogenic factors.