Background and Aim: Functional abdominal pain disorder-not otherwise specified is one of the sub-types of functional gastrointestinal disorders, as per the ROME IV criteria. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and assess the significance of mesenteric lymphadenopathy in children with this disorder.

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at a multi-speciality hospital including children, aged 2 to 16 years,  with functional abdominal pain disorder – not otherwise specified, who underwent abdominal ultrasonography. The control group consisted of children who underwent abdominal ultrasonography for reasons other than abdominal pain. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to compare the significance of the presence of mesenteric lymphadenopathy in the study groups. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: A total of 200 children were included in the study, with 100 children meeting the ROME IV criteria for functional abdominal pain disorder– not otherwise specified and an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls. On ultrasonography, when the size cut-off for significant mesenteric lymphnodes was 5 mm or more and 8 mm or more in maximum short-axis diameter (MSAD), the difference between the case and control groups was statistically significant. However, when the cut off was 10 mm or more, the association was not significant.

Conclusion: There is a statistically significant association between the presence of mesenteric lymphadenopathy in children and functional abdominal pain disorder – not otherwise specified as compared to the control group.