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[Breath methane in children with chronic constipation].

Ana Cristina Fontenele Soares1, Soraia Tahan, Ulysses Fagundes-Neto

  • 1Disciplina de Gastroenterologia Pediátrica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, SP.

Arquivos De Gastroenterologia
|August 20, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Methane production in children is linked to chronic constipation, especially with fecal soiling. Treatment for constipation reduced methane levels, indicating a connection between gut health and methane gas in children.

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Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Microbiology
  • Respiratory Medicine

Context:

  • Methane is an intestinal gas found in the expired air of approximately 10% of children.
  • Functional chronic constipation is a common pediatric condition.
  • The presence and levels of methane gas in children's breath can vary.

Purpose:

  • To investigate methane production in children diagnosed with functional chronic constipation.
  • To measure methane concentration in expired air before and after induced bowel movements.
  • To assess the relationship between methane production and constipation severity, particularly with fecal soiling.

Summary:

  • Methane production was detected in 86.3% of constipated children with fecal soiling, compared to 29.2% without soiling.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Following a six-week constipation therapy, methane production decreased by 65.2%.
  • In children with impacted stool, methane concentration significantly reduced after a bowel movement was induced by a phosphate enema (from 21.5 ppm to 11.0 ppm).

    • Impact:

    • Methane production is significantly associated with chronic constipation, particularly when accompanied by fecal soiling in children.
    • Therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing constipation and impacted stool appear to decrease methane production.
    • These findings highlight methane breath analysis as a potential diagnostic or monitoring tool in pediatric functional bowel disorders.