Extreme abdominal pain may point to intestinal obstruction

By Solomon Oleny

When symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, abdominal distention, constipation and diarrhoea manifest in children, many parents do not take the symptoms seriously, as they believe they are short-lived. However, did you know that these symptoms could also point to intestinal obstruction?

What is intestinal obstruction?

According to Dr. Francis Basimbe, a paediatric surgeon at St. Catherine Children’s Hospital, intestinal obstruction means that there is a blockage in the digestive system passage. The blockage can occur anywhere from the gullet, right down to the anal opening. As such, intestinal contents are unable to pass through, thereby exposing one to death, if not attended to within at least 96 hours.

Causes

Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, the president of the Uganda Paediatrics Association, says intestinal obstruction can result from a mass that a child may be born with, or a constriction in the abdominal cavity. The condition can also be caused by worms, infections and inflammation.

Basimbe adds that the condition may present at birth (congenital obstruction), as a result of the colon failing to adjust to breast milk.

Effects

According to Basimbe, the blockage compromises blood that was supplied past the affected part. Consequently, pressure is mounted onto the intestinal walls creating an abnormal swelling that accommodates the accumulated foods. Before long, the intestines are pressured to slide into one another, after which the affected area starts to rot because the egestion (expulsion of waste from the body) would have stopped.”
“If the pressure is too much, the patient is exposed to more risks like infections, dehydration and shock.

Symptoms

The child may pass out diarrhoea containing mucus, blood or both, may vomit consistently and experience on-and-off sharp excruciating pain in the abdomen that, in most cases, forces the legs to jerk.

Treatment

“If one seeks medical help early, the condition can be corrected by rejoining the colons after the rotten parts have been detached during a surgical operation.

Cost

In private hospitals, an operation to correct an intestinal obstruction costs between sh500,000 and sh1.5m, inclusive of an ultra sound scan.

According to Basimbe, however, quite a few patients, especially the children, survive the operation because most cases seek medical help when the condition has progressed to fatal stages.

Kitaka says if a patient does not respond to first aid within 12 to 24 hours, he should be taken to hospitals for treatment. In addition, nothing in the form of food or fluids should be administered during that period.