Perforated stomach and duodenum due to eating habits of millions of Vietnamese families
The patient was admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain above the navel, and had previously vomited blood. When taking a CT scan of the abdomen, the doctor discovered a perforated duodenum.
The Department of Pediatric Surgery, Thai Nguyen Central Hospital has just admitted patient Vu Minh D., 15 years old, from Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen province, to the hospital with severe abdominal pain above the navel and extreme fatigue.
Taking medical history, the patient said that for about a month now he has had dull pain in the epigastric region, and once vomited blood.
After abdominal X-ray and abdominal CT scan, the doctor discovered a lot of free gas and fluid in the abdomen, and the duodenal region had infiltrated omentum. The patient was diagnosed with perforated hollow viscus, and was monitored for perforated duodenal ulcer.
Doctors from the Pediatric Surgery Department performed laparoscopic surgery combined with blood transfusion to resuscitate the patient. During the surgery, it was found that the anterior surface of the duodenum had a hole measuring 0.7 x 0.7 cm, accompanied by many pseudomembranes and cloudy fluid in the abdominal cavity.
The patient underwent laparoscopic surgery to suture the duodenal perforation and clean the abdominal cavity. After 7 days of treatment at the Pediatric Surgery Department, the child's general condition was stable, he was eating normally and was discharged from the hospital.
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| Image of a nearly 1 cm perforation at the anterior aspect of the duodenum |
Mainly due to living habits
Unlike adults, gastric and duodenal perforation in children is relatively rare, the cause of perforation is gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Gastric and duodenal ulcers in children are mostly caused by HP bacteria infection - transmitted through the mouth. However, in cases of perforated stomach and duodenum, HP infection is only a favorable factor for the disease, the important cause is due to eating habits, eating while watching TV, phone, eating a lot of fast food, drinking a lot of soft drinks, snacking a lot, playing too much, staying up late, studying stress...
Previously, gastric and duodenal ulcers were very rare in children, so abdominal pain in children was often diagnosed as due to digestive disorders or abdominal pain due to worms.
However, Dr. Nguyen Thi Viet Ha, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, National Children's Hospital, in the department, the number of children coming for treatment with gastritis accounts for 1/3, many children only a few years old have very deep stomach ulcers. There are many cases of emergency because of vomiting blood, some cases of complications of stomach perforation.
In children, the symptoms of gastric and duodenal ulcers are not the same as in adults, and the disease progression time is also different, so it is easy to be misdiagnosed.
Accordingly, children may have stomachache before or after meals, pain at night, sometimes irregular pain, without a fixed time.
If the disease is not treated or treated incorrectly, it will lead to many dangerous complications such as deep ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, even perforation of the stomach and duodenum, especially complications causing pyloric stenosis.
In the long term, the disease progresses chronically, affecting the physical and mental development of children.
Therefore, if children show signs of prolonged or severe abdominal pain, parents need to take their children to the doctor immediately to avoid dangerous complications.
To limit gastric and duodenal ulcers, parents need to stop the habit of feeding their children, avoid HP infection, adjust their children's healthy lifestyle such as limiting TV viewing, playing games, especially while eating, eating lots of vegetables and fruits, enough nutrients, avoiding staying up late, sleeping 8-10 hours/day. Talk and be close when children are stressed in studying.
