Abdominal Pain related Functional Gastrointestinal disorders (AP-FGIDs) are among the most common causes of consultation in pediatric gastroenterology. The persistence and intensity of symptoms and the association of AP-FGIDs with poor quality of life and school absenteeism frequently worries families that seek medical attention with the expectation of obtaining "the pill" that will resolve the child's symptoms. This poses a significant challenge to the physician who has to make treatment decisions based on scarce pediatric evidence or inconclusive data. Research on the treatment of AP-FGIDs in children has been almost inexistent until the last few years. Due to the paucity of evidence based data, physicians frequently prescribed drugs based on their personal preferences, anecdotal experience or results of adult studies. Studies comparing the epidemiology of abdominal pain in adult and children suggest that causes, mechanisms or reasons for consultation could be different in both age groups.
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