“Why does it hurt when tests show nothing wrong?” ... Uncovering the hidden cause of children’s stomachaches

[Financial News] The cause of the stomachaches suffered by a 13-year-old boy who belched more than 100 times a day was the stress of mealtimes, when he had to eat foods he disliked.
Minsu (pseudonym, 13, male) went to the hospital because of frequent belching and abdominal pain. When the doctor asked about his symptoms, his guardians speculated about the cause on his behalf, but Minsu himself said nothing. Only later did it emerge that the stress that had built up at every mealtime was manifesting as physical symptoms.
Seongjae (pseudonym, 17, male), a high school student, also could not gain weight because of abdominal pain and diarrhea. He even underwent endoscopies of his stomach and colon, but no abnormalities were found. As he agonized over not knowing the cause, a clue emerged from his memories: the symptoms had begun after classmates teased him for having a bowel movement at school when he was in elementary school.
Samsung Medical Center announced on the 19th that it had launched an in-depth consultation service for children and adolescents experiencing digestive or nutrition-related symptoms like Minsu and Seongjae. The consultations are led by Professor Choi Yeon-ho of the Department of Pediatrics and are held every Monday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The service is for children and adolescents who have digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, show slow growth and development, and have no clear diagnosis. It focuses on helping patients and their families who suffer in their daily lives despite having no notable findings in multiple tests.
When fear or anxiety in children and adolescents leads to somatization disorder, it can be difficult to identify the cause during a short appointment. Many suffer for a long time because medication alone does not resolve the problem. Professor Choi has consistently emphasized this in books including “Insight Intelligence,” “Embracing Memories,” and “Medical Shopping: I Go to the Hospital.”
Professor Choi said, “If you think from the patient’s perspective, there is an answer, but putting it into practice is difficult,” adding, “In-depth care will be a small but precious opportunity to put this hospital’s philosophy into practice.”


[email protected] Jeong Myeong-jin, Medical Correspondent Reporter