Recurrent abdominal pain is one of the most common chronic illnesses of childhood. Yet an organic cause can be found in less than 5 per cent of cases. The lack of a clear aetiology has prompted researchers to theorise possible causes, but researchers have had more success in isolating how children with recurrent abdominal pain...

We now understand asthma to be an inflammation of the bronchioles. This can either be an acute or chronic process and is present even in patients with mild disease. The severity of the inflammation is reliant upon a complex interplay between inherited tendencies and environmental triggers. The second article looks at coughs, their purpose and...