Mesenteric Lymphadenopathy in Children with Chronic Abdominal Pain - A Single Center Retrospective Case Control Study from a Tertiary Care Center in Puducherry

BACKGROUND Mesenteric lymphadenitis (MLN) is found commonly associated with children having chronic abdominal pain, but its significance is rarely mentioned in literature. Mesenteric lymphadenitis is the inflammation of the mesenteric lymph nodes that drain the gastrointestinal tract. The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence and significance of mesenteric lymphadenopathy among children with chronic abdominal pain (CAP). METHODS This is a single center retrospective case control study conducted in the department of paediatrics of a private medical college in Puducherry. Data was obtained from the records over a period of past 24 months. Cases were defined as 5 - 15 years aged children presenting with chronic abdominal pain. Controls were defined as 5 - 15 years aged children who were subjected to abdominal ultrasonography for reasons other than abdominal pain. Records over past 24 months were studied and for uniformity of analysis, a total of 100 children aged 5 - 15 years, were included in both the groups. Data from the case records was analysed retrospectively to calculate the prevalence of mesenteric lymphadenitis in both the groups. RESULTS Chronic abdominal pain was almost equal in both sexes with a male : female ratio of 0.9 : 1. In our study, the incidence of significant MLN among children with chronic abdominal pain was 89 % [n = 89, out of 100 cases] and was 26 % among controls [n = 26, out of 100 controls]. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that MLN is one of the most common findings in children with CAP with higher incidence among cases than controls and is statistically significant. Abdominal ultrasonography is a useful tool in the evaluation of CAP to rule out organic causes. KEYWORDS Chronic Abdominal Pain (CAP), American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), Mesenteric Lymphadenopathy [MLN], Recurrent Abdominal Pain (RAP)