@draizident: Your child may not have ulcer. Yet, many children are being placed on omeprazole and antibiotics for abdominal pain without a properly established diagnosis. The evidence is interesting. A 2025 global meta-analysis involving over 201,000 children found that approximately 11.7% experience functional abdominal pain disorders. Nigerian studies have reported prevalence rates of 9.9% and 16.6% in different school populations. Functional abdominal pain is real. It is not imaginary, and it is often overlooked when every complaint of stomach pain is labelled as peptic ulcer disease. What about H. pylori? The urea breath test and stool antigen test are useful non-invasive tests for detecting active H. pylori infection. However, the blood antibody test (H. pylori IgG) is unreliable for establishing active infection because antibodies can remain positive long after an infection has cleared. More importantly, international paediatric guidelines do not recommend routinely testing children with functional abdominal pain for H. pylori. Not every child with recurrent abdominal pain needs omeprazole. Not every child needs antibiotics. And a positive H. pylori blood test does not automatically mean your child has an ulcer. Let’s encourage accurate diagnosis, rational antibiotic use and responsible prescribing in children’s healthcare. Our children deserve accurate diagnoses, not just prescriptions. Share this with a parent. It could change how they approach their child’s recurrent stomach pain. #tallnigeriandoctor #draizident

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Monday 02 November 2026 16:14:16 GMT