Abdominal pain is a frequent childhood complaint, comprising 2% to 4% of all reasons for pediatric office visits. Patients referred for evaluation of chronic abdominal pain (CAP) frequently present with comorbid nonspecific somatic symptoms that may complicate the medical evaluation and lead to unnecessary diagnostic tests and procedures. We tested the hypothesis that multiple nongastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in children presenting with CAP is a marker for clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms.
