Recurrent abdominal pain in school children revisited: fitting adverse food reactions into the puzzle.

Abstract

The diagnostic work-up of children seeking health care because of recurrent abdominal pain is a clinical challenge. Food hypersensitivity might be one of the aetiologies behind this symptom. Neither the understanding of possible immune mechanisms nor endoscopic or histological findings have yet contributed to reliable diagnostic tests. The possibility of adverse food reactions should be evaluated among other abnormalities behind recurrent abdominal pain in children. Still, the diagnosis of immunemediated food reactions depends on open or blinded food challenge.