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Tegaserod use in children: a single-center experience
Olivia Liem1, Hayat M Mousa, Marc A Benninga
1Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Emma Children's Hospital, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. liemo@chi.osu.edu
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|December 29, 2007
Summary
Tegaserod effectively treated functional gastrointestinal symptoms in children, improving constipation and reducing fecal incontinence. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders
Background:
- Limited published data exist on tegaserod use in pediatric patients.
- Tegaserod is increasingly prescribed by pediatric gastroenterologists.
- This study describes clinical experience with tegaserod in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the authors' experience with tegaserod in pediatric patients.
- To evaluate the efficacy of tegaserod in treating functional gastrointestinal symptoms in children.
- To assess the safety and tolerability of tegaserod in a pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 72 pediatric patients treated with tegaserod from 2004-2006.
- Assessment of defecation frequency, fecal incontinence, and global symptom relief.
- Data collected on patient demographics, indications for treatment, dosage, and adverse events.
Main Results:
- Tegaserod use significantly increased defecation frequency (1 vs 7/week) and decreased fecal incontinence (47% vs 23%) in the constipation group (P < 0.001).
- Moderate to significant symptom relief was reported by parents in 71% of constipation cases and 64-68% of other functional gastrointestinal disorders.
- Adverse events occurred in 32% of patients, primarily self-limiting diarrhea (20%) and abdominal pain (8%).
Conclusions:
- Tegaserod appears to be effective in relieving various functional gastrointestinal symptoms in children.
- The drug demonstrated a favorable safety profile with mostly mild, self-limiting side effects.
- Further randomized controlled trials are warranted to establish specific pediatric indications for tegaserod.
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