Irritable bowel syndrome in children:Current knowledge, challenges and opportunities

Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) is a common and troublesome disorder in children with an increasing prevalence noted during the past two decades. It has a significant effect on the lives of affected children and their families and poses a significant burden on healthcare systems. Standard symptom-based criteria for diagnosis of pediatric IBS have changed several times during the past two decades and there are some differences in interpreting symptoms between different cultures. This has posed a problem when using them to diagnose IBS in clinical practice. A number of potential patho-physiological mechanisms have been described, but so far the exact underlying etiology of IBS is unclear. A few potential therapeutic modalities have been tested in children and only a small number of them have shown some benefit. In addition, most of the described patho-physiological mechanisms and treatment options are based on adult studies. These have surfaced as challenges when dealing with pediatric IBS and they need to be overcome for effective management of children with IBS. Recently suggested top-down and bottom-up models help integrating reported patho-physiological mechanisms and will provide an opportunity for better understanding of the diseases process. Treatment trials targeting single treatment modalities are unlikely to have clinically meaningful therapeutic effects on IBS with multiple integrating patho-physiologies. Trials focusing on multiple combined pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies are likely to yield more benefit. In addition to treatment, in the future, attention should be paid for possible prevention strategies for IBS.

Childhood constipation as an emerging public health problem

Functional constipation(FC) is a significant health problem in children and contrary to common belief, has serious ramifications on the lives of children and their families. It is defined by the Rome criteria which encourage the use of multiple clinical features for diagnosis. FC in children has a high prevalence(0.7%-29%) worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. Biopsychosocial risk factors such as psychological stress, poor dietary habits, obesity and child maltreatment are commonly identified predisposing factors for FC. FC poses a significant healthcare burden on the already overstretched health budgets of many countries in terms of out-patient care, in-patient care, expenditure for investigations and prescriptions. Complications are common and range from minor psychological disturbances, to lower health-related quality of life. FC in children also has a significant impact on families. Many paediatric clinical trials have poor methodological quality, and drugs proved to be useful in adults, are not effective in relieving symptoms in children. A significant proportion of inadequately treated children have similar symptoms as adults. These factors show that constipation is an increasing public health problem across the world with a significant medical, social and economic impact. This article highlights the potential public health impact of FC and the possibility of overcoming this problem by concentrating on modifiable risk factors rather than expending resources on high cost investigations and therapeutic modalities.

Autonomic functions and gastric motility in children with functional abdominal pain disorders

BACKGROUND Abdominal pain-predominant functional gastrointestinal disorders(AP-FGIDs)are the most common cause of recurrent abdominal pain in children. Despite its high prevalence, the underlying pathophysiology of this condition is poorly understood.AIM To assess the role of gastric dysmotility and autonomic nervous system dysfunction in the pathophysiology of AP-FGIDs.METHODS One hundred children, fulfilling Rome III criteria for AP-FGIDs, and 50 healthy controls, aged 5 to 12 years, were recruited after obtaining parental consent. All patients were investigated for underlying organic disorders. Gastric motility and cardiovascular autonomic functions were assessed using validated non-invasive techniques.RESULTS The main gastric motility parameters assessed(gastric emptying rate [45.7 vs 59.6 in controls], amplitude [48.7 vs 58.2], frequency of antral contractions [8.3 vs 9.4],and antral motility index [4.1 vs 6.4]) were significantly lower in children with AP-FGIDs(P < 0.05). The post-prandial antral dilatation at 1 min after the test meal significantly correlated with the severity of abdominal pain(P < 0.05).Assessment of autonomic functions in AP-FGID patients showed neither a significant difference compared to the control group, nor a correlation with gastric motility abnormalities(P > 0.05). The duration of pain episodes negatively correlated with the parasympathetic tone(maladaptive parasympathetic tone)(P< 0.05).CONCLUSION Children with AP-FGIDs have abnormal gastric motility but normal cardiovascular autonomic functions. There is no relationship between abnormal gastric motility and autonomic functions. The pathogenesis of AP-FGIDs is not related to cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction.

Association between functional abdominal pain disorders and asthma in adolescents: A cross-sectional study

AIM To find the association between asthma and different types of functional abdominal pain disorders(FAPDs) among teenagers. METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted among 13 to 15-year-old children from six randomly selected schools in Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka. Data were collected using translated and validated selfadministered questionnaires(Rome Ⅲ questionnaire, International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire, and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0) and administered under an examination setting after obtaining parental consent and assent.RESULTS Of the 1101 children included in the analysis, 157(14.3%) had asthma and 101(9.2%) had at least one FAPDs. Of children with asthma, 19.1% had at least one type of FAPDs. Prevalence rates of functional abdominal pain(FAP)(8.9% vs 3.3% in nonasthmatics), functional dyspepsia(FD)(2.5% vs 0.7%), and abdominal migraine(AM)(3.2% vs 0.4%) were higher in those with asthma(P < 0.05, multiple logistic regression analysis), but not in those with irritable bowel syndrome(4.5% vs 3.1%, P = 0.2). Severe abdominal pain(10.8% vs 4.6%), bloating(16.6% vs 9.6%), nausea(6.4% vs 2.9%), and anorexia(24.2% vs 16.2%) were more prevalent among asthmatics(P < 0.05). Lower gastrointestinal symptoms did not show a significant difference. Scores obtained for health related quality of life(HRQoL) were lower in those with asthma and FAPDs(P < 0.05, unpaired t-test).CONCLUSION Asthma is associated with three different types of FAPDs, namely, FD, AM, and FAP. HRQoL is significantly impaired in teenagers with asthma and FAPDs.

Generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life in patients with Hirschsprung disease:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Patients with Hirschsprung disease(HD)are at risk of persistent constipation,fecal incontinence or recurrent enterocolitis after surgical treatment,which in turn may impact physical and psychosocial functioning.Generic health-related quality of life(HRQoL)and disease-specific health-related quality of life are relevant outcome measures to assess the impact of HD on the QoL of these patients.AIM To summarize all available evidence on HRQoL of patients with HD after surgery and the impact of possible moderating factors.METHODS Pubmed,Web of Sciences,Psyc Info and Embase were searched with search terms related to’Hirschsprung disease’,’Pediatrics’and’Quality of life’.Mean and standard deviation of generic HRQoL overall and domain scores were extracted from each study,as well as data describing potential factors associated with QoL.Random effect models were used for meta-analytic aggregation of generic HRQoL scores.Meta-regression was used to assess the relationship between patient and clinical characteristics and generic HRQoL.Disease-specific HRQoL outcomes of patients with HD were systematically reviewed.RESULTS Seventeen articles were included in the systematic review(n=1137 patients)and 15 in the quantitative meta-analysis(n=1024 patients).Four studies reported disease-specific HRQoL.Patient’s age ranged between 0 and 21 years.Meta-analytic aggregation showed a nonsignificantly impaired generic HRQoL(d=-0.168[95%CI:-0.481;0.145],P=0.293,I^(2)=94.9)in patients with HD compared to healthy controls.Physical(d=-0.042[95%CI:-0.419;0.335],P=0.829,I^(2)=95.1),psychosocial(d=-0.159[95%CI:-0.458;0.141],P=0.299,I^(2)=93.6)and social HRQoL(d=-0.092[95%CI:-0.642;0.457],P=0.742,I^(2)=92.3)were also not significantly lower compared to healthy controls.There was no relation between health-related outcomes and the sex of the patients and whether generic HRQoL was measured by parental proxy or self-report.Disease-specific complaints of patients with HD impaired physical HRQoL,but not psychosocial and social HRQoL.CONCLUSION In this systematic review and meta-analysis,no evidence was found for impaired generic HRQoL in patients with HD compared to healthy controls,neither for moderating effects of sex,parental proxy or self-report.

Fetal programming of obesity and type 2 diabetes

The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus has increased rapidly over the past few decades,and prevention efforts have not been successful.Fetal programming involves the earliest stage of obesity development,and provides a novel concept to complement other strategies for lifelong prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.The World Health Organization now advocates a life-course approach to prevent/control obesity,starting with pre-conceptional and antenatal maternal health.Maternal overnutrition,gestational diabetes mellitus and excessive gestational weight gain lead to fetal overgrowth,and“programs”the offspring with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in childhood and adulthood.This review summarizes current data on fetal programming of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus including potential causative factors,mechanisms and interventions to reduce its impact.

Childhood constipation:Current status,challenges,and future perspectives

Constipation in children is a major health issue around the world,with a global prevalence of 9.5%.They present to clinicians with a myriad of clinical signs.The Rome IV symptom-based criteria are used to diagnose functional constipation.Functional constipation is also a huge financial burden for healthcare system and has a detrimental impact on health-related quality of life of children.There are various risk factors identified globally,including centrally connected factors such as child abuse,emotional and behavioral issues,and psychological stress.Constipation is also precipitated by a low-fiber diet,physical inactivity,and an altered intestinal microbiome.The main pathophysiological mechanism is stool withholding,while altered rectal function,anal sphincter,pelvic floor,and colonic dysfunction also play important roles.Clinical evaluation is critical in making a diagnosis,and most investigations are only required in refractory patients.In the treatment of childhood constipation,both nonpharmacological(education and demystification,dietary changes,toilet training,behavioral interventions,biofeedback,and pelvic floor physiotherapy),and pharmacological(osmotic and stimulant laxatives and novel drugs like prucalopride and lubiprostone)interventions are used.For children with refractory constipation,transanal irrigation,botulinum toxin,neuromodulation,and surgical treatments are reserved.While frequent use of probiotics is still in the experimental stage,healthy dietary habits,living a healthy lifestyle and limiting exposure to stressful events,are all beneficial preventive measures.

Epidemiological characteristics of Asian children with inflammatory bowel disease at diagnosis: Insights from an Asian-Pacific multicentre registry network

BACKGROUND There remains a dearth of Asian epidemiological literature for paediatric inflammatory bowel disease(PIBD).AIM To describe the presenting features of PIBD from 7 Asia-Pacific pediatric gastroenterology centers via a central standardised electronic data platform.METHODS Clinical,endoscopic and radiologic data at diagnosis from the registry were extracted between 1^(st) January 1995 to 31^(st) December 2019.Disease phenotypic characteristics were classified as per the Paris classification system.RESULTS There was a distinct rise in new PIBD cases:Nearly half(48.6%)of the cohort was diagnosed in the most recent 5 years(2015-2019).The ratio of Crohn’s disease(CD):Ulcerative colitis(UC):IBDUnclassified was 55.9%:38.3%:5.8%.The mean age was 9.07 years with a high proportion of very early onset IBD(VEO-IBD)(29.3%)and EO-IBD(52.7%).An over-representation of the Indian/South Asian ethnic group was observed which accounted for 37.0% of the overall Singapore/Malaysia subcohort(6.8%-9.0%Indians in census).Indian/South Asian CD patients were also most likely to present with symptomatic perianal disease(P=0.003).CD patients presented with significantly more constitutional symptoms(fever,anorexia,malaise/fatigue and muscle-wasting)than UC and higher inflammatory indices(higher C-reactive protein and lower albumin levels).CONCLUSION We observed a high incidence of VEO-IBD and an over-representation of the Indian ethnicity.South Asian CD patients were more likely to have symptomatic perianal disease.