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Stomach Pain & Weight Loss in Kids

Stomachaches are a common complaint among children and can have many causes, from stress to gastritis. Unexplained weight loss in children is more problematic, but can also be benign, caused simply by not taking in enough calories. But stomachaches and weight loss together can indicate some more serious possibilities.

  1. Celiac Disease

    • Celiac disease is a digestive disorder. Children with the disease have trouble digesting gluten, which is found in foods containing wheat, barley or rye. When someone with celiac disease takes in gluten, he damages his intestine and then has difficulty absorbing nutrients from food, according to the Mayo Clinic.

      Abdominal pain and weight loss are among the symptoms of celiac disease, along with diarrhea and bloating, although it is also possible to have celiac disease with no symptoms.

    Crohn's Disease

    • Crohn's disease is marked by stomach pain and severe diarrhea, which leads to weight loss. The condition causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. It is extremely painful, potentially debilitating, and in some cases even life-threatening, according to the Mayo Clinic.

      Twenty percent of cases affect children, according to information on the web site of the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. Crohn's is seen in children as young as 7.

    Ulcerative Colitis

    • Ulcerative colitis is another inflammatory bowel disease. It causes severe abdominal pain and weight loss, as well as possible bloody diarrhea.

      Ulcerative colitis affects long portions of the colon--unlike Crohn's disease, which tends to occur over a larger area of the digestive tract but not as a continuous band of inflammation.

      Like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis can also be debilitating and cause potentially fatal complications. The disease most often starts between the ages of 15 and 30.

    Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

    • If a child has been taking antibiotics, he can develop the side effect of diarrhea. This is usually mild, but in some cases can cause unpleasant stomachaches and weight loss. If the condition does not clear up on its own, it can eventually lead to colitis, which requires medical treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Less Serious Causes

    • Stomachache and weight loss can also be caused by less serious conditions like viral gastroenteritis, better known as the stomach flu, or by irritable bowel syndrome. Neither causes serious risks to people who are otherwise healthy, according to information on the Mayo Clinic's website.

      Children with gastroenteritis generally do not need to be treated by a physician, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
      Treatment for children with irritable bowel syndrome may focus on reducing environmental stress, limiting lactose or increasing fiber in the diet.

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