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Abused children at risk of unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 22, 2010
Children who have been abused physically, psychologically or sexually are more likely to have unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms than are children who have not been abused, according to a study in the March/April Annals of Family Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data on 845 children observed from age 4 through 12 in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect.
The study found that among the sexually abused children, abdominal pain preceded or coincided with the abuse in 91% of the cases. Among children who said they had been abused physically, psychologically or sexually, there was a statistically significant association between abuse and abdominal pain and nausea or vomiting (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/03/22/prbf0322.htm.
