What causes intussusception in children?

Many parents will find that their children’s diet is very healthy and they do not eat raw, cold or spicy food, but they still suffer from acute diarrhea. Acute diarrhea without other obvious reasons is usually caused by intussusception, which means one intestine is stuck together with another part of the intestine, thus causing abdominal discomfort. But what is the cause of intussusception in children?

Causes of Intussusception

According to the site of intussusception and the presence or absence of obvious organic lesions, it is divided into primary intussusception and secondary intussusception. Secondary intussusception is often seen in tumors, trauma, post-surgery, and inflammatory lesions of the intestine.

1. Primary: No obvious organic factors can be found in the intestinal segment where intussusception occurs and its vicinity. This accounts for 75% to 90% of intussusception in children, while only 10% to 15% in adults are primary. In infants and young children, intussusception usually occurs under 1 year old, with the highest incidence in infants aged 5 to 9 months and gradually decreasing in infants over 2 years old. It often occurs in seasons with greater climate changes, especially in spring and autumn. There are more viral infections in the upper respiratory tract and lymph nodes during this season, which may cause intestinal peristalsis to lose its normal rhythm or form spasms. In addition, sudden changes in the nature of food for infants and young children, food allergies, diarrhea, etc. may become triggering factors of intussusception. The ileocecal mesentery of newborns is often not fixed, and generally takes several years after birth to gradually attach to the posterior abdominal wall. Because the mesentery is too long and loose, the ileocecal mesentery moves too much, which is the main anatomical factor for the onset of intussusception in this area.

2. Tumor: It is the most common cause of intussusception in adults. Intestinal polyps, leiomyoma, lipoma, fibroma and cancer can all cause secondary intussusception. This is because if there is a tumor in the ileocecal region or other intestinal segments, it often leads to abnormal intestinal peristalsis and becomes a trap point for intussusception.

3. Trauma and surgery: There are increasing reports of intussusception after abdominal trauma and surgery. Small intestinal intussusception is common after abdominal trauma and surgery.

4. Other causes: Intestinal inflammation causes intestinal motility disorders, mainly including localized ileitis, nonspecific ileocecal ulcers, acute ileocecal valve inflammation, acute and chronic appendicitis, etc. In addition, intestinal tuberculosis, bacillary dysentery or typhoid ulcers can cause intussusception. Congenital malformations such as Meckel's diverticulum, absent cecum, straight line connection of the ileum and colon, intestinal ascariasis, intestinal pneumatosis, idiopathic Henoch-Schonlein purpura intestinal wall hematoma are all rare causes of secondary intussusception.