Functional Abdominal Pain – not exclusively an adult condition

Abstract

As in adults, functional complaints of the gastrointestinal system in children and adolescents are common and are a cause of great anxiety, morbidity and significant healthcare costs. As far back as the 1960’s, attempts were made to classify functional complaints leading to the first diagnostic criteria for adult irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the “Manning Criteria”, in 1978. By the late 1980’s and early 1990’s it became clear that there was a need to standardise criteria for the diagnosis, treatment and study of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs).