Etiology of non-traumatic acute abdomen in pediatric emergency departments

Table 1 Differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain by predominant age

Younger than 2 yr	2 to 5 yr	5 to 12 yr	Older than 12 yr
Infantile colic	Gastroenteritis	Gastroenteritis	Appendicitis
Gastroenteritis	Appendicitis	Appendicitis	Gastroenteritis
Constipation	Constipation	Constipation	Constipation
UTI	UTI	Functional pain	Dysmenorrhea
Intussusception	Intussusception	UTI	Mittelschmerz
Volvulus	Volvulus	Trauma	PID
Incarcerated hernia	Trauma	Pharyngitis	Threatened abortion
Hirschsprung’s disease	Pharyngitis	Pneumonia	Ectopic pregnancy
	Sickle cell crisis	Sickle cell crisis	Ovarian/Testicular torsion
	HSP	HSP
	Mesenteric adenitis	Mesenteric adenitis

UTI: Urinary tract infection; PID: Pelvic inflammatory disease; HSP: Henoch-Schonlein purpura.