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Ontogeny of oral drug absorption processes in children

Miriam G Mooij1, Barbara A E de Koning, Mark L Huijsman

  • 1Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology
|June 13, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric oral drug absorption is complex due to age-related physiological changes. More research is needed to understand these factors for accurate pediatric drug dosing.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Pediatrics
  • Drug Absorption

Background:

  • Many medications for children are given orally.
  • Physiological changes with age impact oral drug absorption and dosing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review age-related changes in oral drug absorption processes in children.
  • To identify knowledge gaps in pediatric drug disposition.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of Medline (inception–February 2012).
  • Focused on human studies of gastric pH, gastrointestinal motility, bile salts, pancreatic function, intestinal pH, intestinal drug-metabolizing enzymes, and transporter proteins.

Main Results:

  • Significant age-related changes affect oral drug absorption in children.
  • Identified substantial information gaps across most absorption processes.

Conclusions:

  • Clinicians must consider developmental changes in oral absorption for pediatric prescribing.
  • Further research on intestinal transit, pH, enzymes, and transporters is crucial for precise pediatric drug dosing.
Abstract

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