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Abdominal distention – a medical mystery?

September 21, 2013 9:00 am

A recent ‘think like a doctor’ case in the NY Times involved a patient sent to a pediatric gastroenterologist for abdominal distention. It’s worth a read (thanks to Ben Enav for sharing this reference).

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/think-like-a-doctor-the-gymnasts-big-belly/

With regard to bloating and distention, the ‘smartphrase’ that I use to discuss this issue with parents is based on the “5 Fs” that I learned during fellowship. I decided to modify the phrase a little bit based on the above case:

” I reviewed the issue of bloating/distention with family. Typically, distention or bloating can be caused by “5 Fs” which include flatus (gas), feces (constipation), fluid, fat, and fetus/masses. Flatus can be caused by swallowing air (aerophagia), malabsorption (celiac, lactose intolerance, parasites), muscular discoordination (abdominal phrenic dyssynergia), and motility problems.”

Are there other etiologies that you discuss with your patients?