Gastroenterology

Pediatric gastroenterologist appointment in Kyiv

When should I consult a pediatric gastroenterologist?

• • if the child experiences regular pain in the stomach
  • stool disorders (frequency: diarrhea, constipation, “unstable” stool – alternating constipation and diarrhea, color (white, bright yellow, very dark), consistency (liquid, “sheep”, solid), the presence of impurities (undigested food, mucus, blood, parasites).
  • appetite disorders: (decreased, increased, optional)
  • dyspeptic complaints (this nice word conceals nausea, bloating, flatulence, belching, heartburn, bad breath and bad breath, plaque on the tongue)
  • complaints of repeating vomiting (in children under 1 year – massive regurgitation)
  • in addition to the complaints listed above there are also weight loss, lack of body weight, the general condition of the child is impaired.
  • In infants stomach pain can manifest itself as a cry, accompanied by flexing the legs to the stomach, or otherwise by stretching the whole body, reddening of the face, and heartburn shows itself as a cry during feeding, refusal of food (fear of taking a breast or a bottle)

A note to the parents. Try to systemize the complaints, answering the following questions before an appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist:

1. Stomach pain
2. How often? (every day, once a day, constantly, once a week, 2-3-4 timesday, coupled with a need to go somewhere (hurts when going to the kindergarten, never hurts when there’s planned night at the circus etc.)
3. How long? (week, month, year…)
4. Relation to eating (before eating, after – immediately, in half an hour, in an hour…; not related to eating; hurts before and after; hurts at night, related to a specific meal)
5. Pain characteristics
6. presses, pricks, cuts, squeezes, bursts..(a pose could indirectly point to an acute spasmodic pain – lying down or sitting, bending the knees, while describing the pain)
7. long-term or short-term (hurts for a long time or passes quickly)
8. intense/not intense. Usually, if it hurts a lot, the child cries, and is not distracted by toys/cartoons). Or forgets about the pain and stops complaining when entertained.
9. Localization (usually kids point to the umbilicus, but it varies)
10. What is pain relieved with: caressing/massaging the stomach, a little rest, distraction, a certain task, passes after eating or defecation, relieved with medicine (spasmolytics, simethicone) – what drug exactly
11. Preserved, decreased, increased, optional (eats certain food, doesn’t like certain products). Whether asks for food when in pain.
12. Stool: daily or not. Prone to constipation or diarrhea. Color, consistency, impurities (unprocessed food, mucus, white lumps, fat..), relation to the food regime (e.g. more milk – stool is foamy, more often, liquefied).
13. Body mass. Weight at the moment and the rate of mass increase in the first year of life.
14. Remember, what you fed your child with during the first year of life. Breast milk, or formulas (which ones, since what age), when started adding other foods. Any stomach disorders in the first year – colic, regurgitations, vomiting.
15. Other complaints in relation to GI tract (nausea, bloating, flatulence, belching, heartburn, bad breath and bad breath, plaque on the tongue), and others, not so obvious (night cough, with no relation to ARVI), wet pillow after sleep (saliva), joint pain, tiredness, irritability, increased excitability, emotional bursts).

NB! There is a great chance that there is no need in gastroenterologist consultation, if the child has had an abrupt onset of vomiting and diarrhea with fever, and there are a few other kids with the same symptoms in a group – it is probably a viral infection with intestinal syndrome.

Also, if the stomach pain is acute, is accompanied by vomiting, intoxication (drowsiness), mild fever, – first you should consult a surgeon.

Are there any tests to detect disorders of structure and/or functioning of GI tract?

• coprogram
• feces for helminths’ eggs, scraping for enterobiosis
• biochemical analysis of blood (indicators of the liver, pancreas)
• tests to determine genetic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
• tests to determine carbohydrate intolerance (stool carbohydrates, breath tests)
• Ultrasonography of the abdominal cavity
• endoscopy (esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy)
• X-ray examination of the abdominal organs (with or without contrast), including computed tomography
• MRI.

Remember that the lion’s share of violations from the organs of the gastrointestinal tract in children consists of functional disorders (colic, constipation, diarrhea) – conditions caused not by organ damage, but simply by the attempts of the child’s body to “grasp the immensity” – to eat food which quantity or quality does not match the capabilities of a growing person.

But there are more serious reasons for complaints – chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease), gastric or duodenal ulcer … The pediatric gastroenterologist at KinderKlinik won’t miss these reasons, will choose adequate methods of examination, prescribe qualified treatment and correct the diet in certain diseases.

Need a pediatric gastroenterologist in Kyiv? Welcome to KinderKlinik – our experienced specialists won’t leave disease a chance!