Approach to chronic abdominal pain in Cystic Fibrosis

Abdominal pain in individuals with CF is challenging for the patient as well as the physician, as the differential diagnosis can be complex. Most gastrointestinal manifestations of CF present with regional abdominal pain. Pain localization, which requires knowledge of gut development and innervation, is crucial to understanding the pathophysiology of abdominal pain in CF. The location of the pain, together with the clinical presentation, shapes the differential diagnosis and thus guides the evaluation and management.