Family history of irritable bowel syndrome is the major determinant of persistent abdominal complaints in young adults with a history of pediatric recurrent abdominal pain

AIM： To assess the late outcome of teen-agers with a previous history of recurrent abdominal pain （RAP） or irritable bowel syndrome （IBS）. METHODS： A group of 67 children with RAP referred to the department from January 1986 to December 1995 was followed up between 5 and 13 years after the initial diagnosis by means of a structured telephone interview. We hypothesized that those patients with persistent adult IBS-like symptoms would be significantly more likely to report a family history oflBS in comparison with adults with no persistent abdominal complaint. RESULTS： Out of the 52 trackable subjects, 15 were found to present IBS-like symptoms at follow-up （29%） whereas the majority （37 subjects） did not. Subjects with IBS-like symptoms were almost three times more likely to present at least one sibling with similar symptoms compared to subjects not complaining （40.0% vs 16.0%）, respectively （P 〈 0.05 at Student t test）. Subjects with IBS-like symptoms also reported a higher prevalence of extra-intestinal symptoms, such as back pain, fibromyalgia, headache, fatigue and sleep disturbances. CONCLUSION： The study confirms previous observations indicating that pediatric RAP can predict later development of IBS. The latter appears to be greatly influenced by intrafamilial aggregation of symptoms, possibly through the learning of a specific illness behavior.

Role of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>Infection in Recurrent Abdominal Pain of the Child in Brazzaville

The Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is a public health problem, especially in developing countries. However, the responsibility of Hp for the occurrence of recurrent abdominal pain is still unclear. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in Brazzaville and to establish the relationship between Hp infection and RAP. Patients and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional case-control study, between March and September 2018, including 106 children with RAP and 218 children without RAP, aged 2 to 17 years old, received in health centres in Brazzaville. All the children were subjected to detection of Hp fecal antigen by qualitative immuno-chromatography in the faeces. Results: The prevalence of Hp infection among children with RAP in Brazzaville was 43.4%. The female sex was most represented in both populations, with a sex ratio of 0.84 in the infected population. Compared with controls, these were children with a mean age of 8.13 ± 4.57 years. Infected children with RAP were unschooled in 66.7% (n = 31) of cases (p < 0.05). Those using potty were 63% (n = 29). Handwashing before meals and after using the toilet was not done in 66.7% (n = 31) and 56.5% (n = 26) of cases, respectively. The proportions were almost similar in the control population. The epigastric site of pain was found in 51.8% of children infected with RAP, the association between Hp infection and the site of pain was statistically significant (p = 0.009). The epidemiological factors influencing Hp infestation in children were identical in both groups, those factors were: age (OR = 0.61;p < 0.04), education level (OR = 0.35;p < 0.01) of the children and guardian’s age (OR = 1.22;p < 0.03), type of toilet (OR = 2.37;p < 0.02) and hand washing (OR = 1;p < 0.01). No statistically significant association was found between Hp infection and RAP (p = 0.10). Conclusion: Hp infection is common among children with RAP in Brazzaville. It is favoured by young age and lack of hygiene. The cause and effect relationship between Hp and RAP has not been found. Nevertheless, the search for Hp fecal antigen in children with RAP should be recommended in order to improve the management of this pathology.

Irritable bowel syndrome in children: Pathogenesis, diagnosis and evidence-based treatment

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the commonest cause of recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children in both more developed and developing parts of the world. It is defined by the Rome III criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders. It is characterized by abdominal pain that is improved by defecation and whose onset is associated with a change in stool form and or frequency and is not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities. It is estimated that 10%-15% of older children and adolescents suffer from IBS. IBS can be considered to be a brain-gut disorder possibly due to complex interaction between environmental and hereditary factors. The diagnosis of IBS is made based on the Rome III criteria together with ruling out organic causes of RAP in children such as inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Once the diagnosis of IBS is made, it is important to explain to the parents (and children) that there is no serious underlying disease. This reassurance may be effective treatment in a large number of cases. Lifestyle modifications, stress management, dietary interventions and probiotics may be beneficial in some cases. Although there is limited evidence for efficacy of pharmacological therapies such as antispasmodics and antidiarrheals; these have a role in severe cases. Biopsychosocial therapies have shown encouraging results in initial trials but are beset by limited availability. Further research is necessary to understand the pathophysiology and provide specific focused therapies.