Recurrent abdominal pain: a five-year follow-up study.

To explore the long-term prognosis for children referred for recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), 44 children investigated for RAP 5 y ago were compared to a group of controls (n=88). The former RAP patients reported RAP, headache and school absence more frequently than controls. A high proportion of children referred with RAP have persistent symptoms, with more headache and school absence than controls. The diagnostic subgroup did not predict persistence of abdominal pain.