Recurrent Abdominal Pain as a Manifestation of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Case Report

As a rare cause of abdominal pain, abdominal epilepsy is relatively common among children and very rare among adults. Its manifestations are mainly gastrointestinal. This report aimed to introduce a young girl with flank pain, nausea, and fever who was diagnosed with abdominal epilepsy. The case was a nineteen-year-old girl who referred to hospital with flank pain, nausea, and fever. She was initially admitted to the infection disease service, diagnosed with pyelonephritis, and received antibiotics. Gastroenterology and neurology consultations were also requested due to respectively abdominal pain and long-term use of neuroleptics. Because of short-term abdominal pains which recurred every few days since twelve years ago and were occasionally associated with confusion, the diagnosis of abdominal epilepsy was considered in neurologic assessments. Further assessment through electroencephalography confirmed the diagnosis of abdominal epilepsy. Finally, treatment with anticonvulsants relieved abdominal pain and the patient was discharged. Local convulsion may occasionally be manifested by periodical recurrent abdominal pain. Thus, patients with vague recurrent abdominal pain should be assessed for abdominal epilepsy.