Are stomach and bowel problems common in Noonan Syndrome?
I haven’t experienced stomach pains specifically apart from the fact that recurrent abdominal pain without an obvious cause is not uncommon in childhood in general terms. Recurrent stomach pain and cramps is quite common and I always describe it as a bit like headaches – just as some people get a lot of headaches it doesn’t mean that they’ve got an underlying disease or problem in their head. Stomach pains and stomach cramps are quite common in children and they do have a genuine experience of pain. For the overwhelming majority – 90-95% – you look after it with reassurance, simple painkillers, rubbing their tummy and usually you tend to find that it gets better. If a child’s severely unwell, has got diarrhoea or is losing weight or is becoming paler then you should, then you should definitely get medical help. It’s rare but intestinal lymphangiectasia may present with bloating, abdominal pain particularly with fatty foods and chronic diarrhoea – greasy, floating, smelly. It’s important to remember that you can have things coincidentally to Noonan’s. We have been asked if Gilbert’s Syndrome is part of Noonan Syndrome. This is a cause of jaundice and it’s relatively common but it’s likely to have been coincidental. And this is common with other symptoms and conditions.
