Vomiting is common in children and can happen for a number of reasons. It’s usually due to an infection in the gut – gastroenteritis – and will clear in a day or two. Occasionally it can indicate something serious, but other signs also guide you to recognise this. Gastroenteritis can also cause diarrhoea – this may appear a few hours or a day after vomiting starts – and abdominal pain or cramps. Children are usually off their food, and they may have a mild fever. If it lasts longer than a couple of days or they are struggling to keep fluids down, it’s time to contact your doctor.

There are a few common causes of an itchy bottom, and we may find no cause, in which case we call it pruritus ani. In children, threadworms are very common – but it's rare in adults. This is a parasite infection causing intense itching around the anus and possibly the vagina, especially at night. You might notice tiny white worms around your child’s anus or mixed in their poo. In adults, haemorrhoids may be to blame. You may be able to feel one lump or more on the anus, and it may be painful when you go for a poo. You may get a few streaks of blood in the toilet bowl or on toilet tissue. These are common and treatments are available. Infections from a fungus or yeast (thrush) can feel itchy and sore. The area will look pink, perhaps with tiny pink bumps and possibly flaky. Psoriasis can look similar, but will likely be more red rather than pink and with a clear border, and is a more likely cause if you have psoriasis on other parts of the body. Eczema may appear around the bottom, especially if you have a tendency to it or if you have an irritation from any cream or treatments you are using, such as perfumed moisturisers, steroid creams or ointments for anal fissure. Genital warts can appear as hard lumps around the anus and wider genital area and may be itchy to start with. These are sexually transmitted and contagious to intimate partners. Finally, a condition called lichen sclerosus causes the skin to tighten, and this can be itchy. You might see some white streaks on the affected area and it might look shiny and taut.

Diarrhoea is defined as stool, or poo, that is loose or watery and you usually need to go to the toilet more often. It's very common and most cases improve by themselves within a day or two. There are many causes of diarrhoea, ranging from infection, allergy, anxiety, medication side-effects or long term conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Lactulose is an over-the-counter oral solution used to treat constipation in the short term. It comes as a sugar-like syrup and is suitable for adults and children.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that affects the digestive system. It causes abdominal discomfort or pain along with bloating or changes to the bowel habits. In IBS, opening the bowels typically relieves abdominal pain. Certain symptoms like bloating, trapped wind and abdominal cramps can prove embarrassing, particularly if you have diarrhoea or need to rush to the loo several times a day. Many suffer in silence, reluctant to go to their doctor or pharmacist to discuss such personal issues. There is no specific test to confirm IBS. Doctors make a firm diagnosis with defined criteria of symptoms, persisting for at least 6 months, and in the absence of other digestive conditions that could account for symptoms. IBS is a common condition that isn’t life-threatening and that doesn’t put you at higher risk of serious conditions like bowel cancer. But it’s a long-term condition that can be debilitating and cause a significant impact on work, study, enjoyable social activities and daily tasks. It can take its toll on your mood and quality of life. Symptoms may be continuous or intermittent, and this chronic waxing-and-waning picture can last for years. It’s very common, with 1 to 2 people in every 10 suffering in the UK, and that’s likely to be an underestimate, as many don’t seek medical help. Symptoms usually start when people are in their 20s and 30s and it’s more often found in women.

Incontinence is the involuntary or uncontrollable leakage of urine or poo. It is called urinary, bowel, or double incontinence if both weeing and pooing are affected. It can occur because of weakening of the muscles that control weeing or pooing or from illness such as stroke, which can affect the nerves that control these functions. Urinary incontinence may be brought by coughing or laughing (stress incontinence) or when you feel the urge to urinate (urge incontinence). Incontinence is diagnosed when it has happened regularly, not just once. Muscle exercises may help train the muscles to reduce incontinence. Medication may also help control symptoms of urinary incontinence.

Stomach pain can be uncomfortable and maybe even frightening. Luckily stomach pain has some common causes, is usually self-limiting and in many cases can be self-treated at home with some helpful medication. Firstly, it is important to rule out causes for concern. If you are suffering from severe debilitating pain, or experiencing any other serious symptoms such as large volumes of blood in your vomit, fever, or unable to stay hydrated – you should seek advice from your doctor.

Haemorrhoids are common and many refer to them as piles. They are enlarged blood vessels just inside or outside the anus, and they look like small red or purple lumps. You might find blood after you go for a poo (this will be bright red blood, and seen on wiping or on the stool), or you can get pain and itching around the anus. For the majority of people, they cause no symptoms at all. Sometimes haemorrhoids can become thrombosed, which means they have no blood flow due to a blood clot. These are very painful and tender to touch. Haemorrhoids are not contagious, and cannot be passed on.

If you have repeated indigestion or acid reflux, you may be at risk of developing gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). This is a general term, used to describe acid reflux, either with or without inflammation of the gullet (oesophagus). In it, the corrosive acid our stomach produces to break down food moves up to the oesophagus (the food pipe), where the lining is much more sensitive and so can get damaged over time. If you have GORD you typically experience heartburn, where you may feel a gnawing or burning pain in your central chest that moves up to the throat after eating. While you may have suffered indigestion before, symptoms with GORD may be much more easily triggered, more severe, and last longer after eating or drinking. It can also be the case that the usual treatments you have used before and which worked well may no longer be effective. Regular acid reflux is more common in smokers, pregnant women, heavy drinkers, the overweight or obese and people aged between 35 and 65 years old.