Children's Stomach Problems in Sharjah

What is children's stomach and bowel care?

Children's stomach and bowel care covers the everyday digestive problems that bring families to a pediatrician: a baby who spits up after every feed, a toddler who dreads the toilet, a school child with tummy aches most mornings, or a child whose weight is falling behind. Most of these problems are common, and most improve with the right explanation, simple changes at home and, where needed, a short course of treatment.

At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, this care is led by the Pediatrics and Neonatology team. Your pediatrician assesses your child, arranges the tests that help, and manages the large majority of conditions directly. When a child needs a specialist test such as an endoscopy, or has a condition that needs long-term specialist care, your pediatrician arranges referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist.

Who needs it

Parents usually come with one of these concerns:

| Concern | What it often turns out to be |
|---|---|
| Baby spits up milk after feeds | Infant reflux, which usually settles as the baby grows and sits upright |
| Baby unsettled, with mucus or blood in the stool, or eczema | Sometimes cow's milk protein allergy |
| Hard, painful or infrequent stools | Constipation, the most common bowel problem in childhood |
| Tummy pain that keeps coming back | Often functional abdominal pain, which is real pain from a sensitive gut |
| Loose stools for weeks | Causes include a lingering infection, food intolerance or coeliac disease |
| Poor weight gain | Feeding, absorption or other health factors, which assessment sorts out |

A baby who spits up but is feeding well, content and gaining weight is often called a "happy spitter", and usually needs reassurance rather than medicine. For short-lived vomiting and diarrhoea from a tummy bug, see child fever and infection treatment.

In the UAE, hot weather, long hours indoors, low fluid intake and diets heavy in processed or fast food all make constipation more likely. Many children simply drink too little water in summer, and a hard stool makes the next one harder to pass.

What happens

Your pediatrician starts with a detailed history: feeding or diet, stool pattern and appearance, pain, weight, sleep, and family history. A growth chart shows whether your child is growing along a steady line, which is one of the most useful clues. Your child is then examined, including the tummy.

Tests are chosen to answer a specific question and may include:

• Blood tests, for example for anaemia, inflammation, thyroid function or coeliac disease
• Stool tests, for infection, blood or signs of inflammation in the bowel
• Urine tests, when infection or other causes of pain are possible
• Abdominal ultrasound, which uses no radiation (see children's imaging and ultrasound scan)

Treatment is matched to the cause. For constipation, the plan usually combines a stool-softening medicine used regularly for a period, more fluid and fibre, and a relaxed toilet routine after meals. Children with long-standing constipation often hold stools in because passing them hurts, which leads to larger, harder stools. Soiling in a constipated child is often softer stool leaking around a hard mass, which happens outside the child's control.

For infant reflux, the plan focuses on feeding position, smaller and more frequent feeds, and keeping the baby upright after feeds. For suspected cow's milk protein allergy, your pediatrician may suggest a supervised trial without cow's milk.

Coeliac disease is checked with a blood test while your child is still eating gluten, because removing gluten beforehand can make the result falsely reassuring.

If your child needs an endoscopy or specialist management, for example for suspected inflammatory bowel disease or ongoing bleeding, your pediatrician explains why and arranges referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. Nutrition advice is given by your pediatrician, and referral to a dietitian is arranged when a detailed eating plan is needed.

Preparing for it

Before the appointment, keep a simple diary for a week or two: what your child eats and drinks, stool frequency and type, pain episodes and their timing. A photo of a typical stool can be surprisingly helpful. Bring your child's growth or vaccination record, any previous test results, and a list of medicines or supplements tried.

For babies, note how much and how often they feed, which milk or formula they take, and how many wet nappies they have each day. If your pediatrician may test for coeliac disease, keep gluten in your child's diet until the test is done.

Afterwards

You leave with a clear plan and a review date. Many plans for constipation and reflux take time to work, so keep going with the routine even after the first improvement, and keep the diary so progress is easy to see. Older children observing Ramadan need a plan for fluids and fibre during non-fasting hours.

Contact your pediatrician if your child loses weight, has tummy pain that wakes them at night, has blood in the stool, has diarrhoea that persists, or if symptoms continue despite the plan.

Go to the emergency department straight away if your baby vomits green (bile-stained) fluid, if your child vomits blood or passes black, tarry stools, has severe tummy pain that keeps getting worse or moves to the lower right side, has a swollen, hard tummy, or shows signs of dehydration such as very few wet nappies, no tears, sunken eyes or unusual drowsiness. See children's emergency.

Cost and insurance

Most UAE health insurance plans cover pediatric consultations, blood and stool tests and ultrasound for children with digestive symptoms. Some tests need pre-approval, and specialist referral and endoscopy require separate approval. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover on 06 599 7777.