Brief Answer: Do not worry. Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for writing to health care magic. I can understand your concern. There could be several causes of stomach ache. If the pain is in the lower part of the abdomen we think of causes like urinary tract infection. In such cases the child may complain of burning urination and there may be increased frequency of urination. A urine examination will confirm the diagnosis. Infections of the colon can be associated with stomach ache. If the pain is more in the upper part of the abdomen we think of causes like acid peptic disease. There could be several other causes also for stomach ache in children. Even a throat infection may be associated with stomach ache. Some times there may not be any specific cause for stomach ache. We consider this when the systemic examination is normal and investigations like stool, urine examination, ultrasound etc are normal. When a child has some worries they may complain of stomach ache. Force feeding when a child does not want to eat, tensions in the family, sibling problems etc. can precipitate such problems. But before this other causes of pain abdomen should be ruled out by a complete physical examination and investigations depending on the physical examination findings. Continue to ask further queries as required. Hope this helps. Take care. Dr Y V Siva Sankara Murty M.D.(Pediatrics) Associate Professor of Pediatrics

---