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Abdominal pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders in children with celiac disease
Miguel Saps1, Papa Adams, Silvana Bonilla
1Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Children's Memorial Hospital, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. msaps@childrensmemorial.org
Insights
Children with celiac disease (CD) and healthy controls show similar long-term risks for developing abdominal pain (AP) and related functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). Further large prospective studies are recommended to confirm these findings in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Celiac Disease Research
Background:
- Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten ingestion.
- Abdominal pain (AP) and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common in children.
- The long-term association between CD and AP/FGIDs requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if children diagnosed with celiac disease have a higher incidence of abdominal pain (AP) and AP-associated functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) compared to controls.
- To assess the long-term follow-up of AP and FGIDs in pediatric celiac disease patients.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study analyzed data from children (3-22 years) diagnosed with CD between 2000-2010.
- Parents of CD patients and controls completed a telephone questionnaire and the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III.
- Data collection occurred at least 6 months post-CD diagnosis.
Main Results:
- The study included 49 children with CD and 48 controls.
- Abdominal pain (AP) was reported by 24.5% of CD patients versus 14.6% of controls (P=.3).
- AP-associated FGIDs were diagnosed in 18.3% of CD patients compared to 8.3% of controls (P=.23).
Conclusions:
- Children with celiac disease and control groups exhibited similar risks for developing abdominal pain (AP) and AP-associated FGIDs.
- Methodological limitations suggest caution in generalizing findings.
- Large-scale prospective studies are recommended to validate these results.
Objective:
To assess whether patients with celiac disease (CD) are more likely than controls to develop abdominal pain (AP) and AP-associated functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) in long-term follow-up.
Study Design:
In a retrospective study, data on children (3-22 years old) with CD diagnosed between 2000 and 2010 were obtained. Parents were contacted by telephone at least 6 months after the diagnosis of CD and invited to participate in the study. Consenting parents completed: (1) a telephone questionnaire on the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms; and (2) the parent report version of the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III for cases and selected controls.
Results:
Forty-nine cases (mean 11.3 years, 20 male participants) and 48 controls (mean 11.1 years, 24 male participants) were enrolled. Twelve children in the CD group (24.5%) and 7 children in the control group (14.6%) had AP at the time of the study (P = .3). Nine children in the CD group (18.3%) and 4 children in the control group (8.3%) met criteria for an AP-associated FGID according to the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III (P = .23).
Conclusion:
It was found that children with CD and controls have a similar risk of AP and AP-FGIDs. Methodologic limitations prevent generalization of results, but large prospective studies should confirm the findings.
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