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A must-see for parents! How to use STRESS discipline to effectively manage a child's abdominal migraine?
Abdominal Migraine (AM) is a functional disease that usually occurs in children and adolescents, and there is no clear pathological mechanism or biochemical abnormality.Children often experience severe abdominal pain, accompanied by symptoms of migraine, such as nausea, vomiting, severe headaches and paleness throughout the body.The diagnosis of this disease is mainly based on clinical standards and excludes the effects of other diseases.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve any specific drug to treat abdominal migraines, and the main purpose of treatment is to prevent attacks, which can usually be achieved through non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Study shows that the incidence of abdominal migraine in children is about 0.4% to 4%, mainly affecting children aged 3 to 10, and women are more common than men.
Symptoms and Characteristics
Abdominal migraine is characterized by midline abdominal pain, accompanied by paroxysmal, recurrent, and acute attacks, with an average duration of about 17 hours.There are reports that the duration of these episodes can range from two to seventy-two hours.Although this pain may also manifest as diffuse or colic, it is usually predominantly dull or pain around the umbilical.91% of patients experience loss of appetite, 73% to 91% experience nausea, 35% to 50% will vomit, and 93% to 100% will experience concomitant pallor.Usually the attack ends suddenly, while the patient is usually asymptomatic at other times during the onset cycle.
Many children have abdominal migraine attacks about 14 times a year, each with varying duration and severity, with episodes that can be separated by weeks or months.
causes and risk factors
Abdominal migraine may be associated with specific changes in the intestinal-brain axis, abnormal vascular regulation, changes in the central nervous system, and genetic factors.Psychological factors may also play a role in the pathogenesis of abdominal migraine.Children who have experienced abuse or stressful events have been shown to be at a higher risk of recurrent abdominal pain.In addition, children with functional gastrointestinal diseases experience anxiety and depression more often than children without these diseases.
Triggers and Diagnosis
Many triggers that often disrupt abdominal migraine include stress at home or work life, irregular sleep, prolonged fasting, dehydration, travel, and certain foods such as foods containing high amine and MSG.To determine whether a child suffers from abdominal migraine, the organic disease must be ruled out and diagnosed through detailed medical records and physical examinations.The Roman Phase IV standard states that strong and acute perium, midabdominal or extensive pain, lasting at least one hour, can be used to diagnose abdominal migraine. If you experience this condition at least twice within six months and have no other symptoms during this period, you will be diagnosed as abdominal migraine.
In addition, the diagnosis of abdominal migraine should rule out other causes that may cause chronic or recurrent abdominal pain, such as dysentery, gastrointestinal ulcers, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The application of STRESS discipline
Because there are few studies on abdominal migraines in the literature, the treatment options are mostly based on small-scale clinical practice.Parents can use STRESS discipline, referred to as stress management, travel advice, rest, emergency symptoms, dazzling lights and snack avoidance.First, after identifying the triggers, these factors should be minimized or avoided.Emotional stressors, such as family or school activity factors, may also trigger episodes in some children.
While there are no clear randomized experiments to evaluate the efficacy of biofeedback and psychological counseling on abdominal migraine, these methods may help relieve emotional stress.
Several studies have shown that dietary exclusions based on food immunoglobulin G (IgG) shows potential in reducing episodes of children with concurrent migraine and dysentery.In the medical community, drugs used in similar situations include painkillers, trifluorochlorothio sprays, etc. In acute attacks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can also be tried to relieve symptoms.There is a particular need to target patients with nausea and vomiting, and suppositories or sprays may be considered to improve efficacy.
Prognosis and Epidemiology
Abdominal migraines can seriously affect children's daily life, which may lead to missing classes and inability to participate in various activities.In many patients, abdominal migraines may gradually decrease or disappear completely over time as their growth improves.For most children, the prognosis of this disease is good and in many cases it will improve with age.
So, as parents, how can we more effectively identify and manage children's abdominal migraines?
