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Side effects associated with pharmacotherapy for pediatric irritable bowel syndrome and functional abdominal pain -

Robyn Rexwinkel1, Judith Zeevenhooven1, Faridi S van Etten-Jamaludin2

  • 1a Pediatric Gastroenterology , Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.

Expert Opinion on Drug Safety
|January 25, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Pharmacotherapy for pediatric irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional abdominal pain (FAP-NOS) has limited reported side effects, primarily mild and transient gastrointestinal and central nervous system issues. More high-quality research is needed to confirm safety in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional abdominal pain - not otherwise specified (FAP-NOS) are common in children.
  • Pharmacotherapy is used to manage symptoms, but safety data in pediatric populations are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the literature on the side effects of pharmacotherapy in children diagnosed with IBS or FAP-NOS.
  • To assess the safety profile and types of adverse events associated with medications used in pediatric functional abdominal pain disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase databases (inception to May 2018).
  • Inclusion of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and case-control studies in children aged 4-18 years.
  • Quality assessment of included studies and analysis of reported pharmacotherapy side effects.

Main Results:

  • Out of 4619 identified articles, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria.
  • Pharmacotherapy side effects were reported in 10/17 (59%) studies, including antispasmodics, antidepressants, antihistamines, serotonergic agents, and antibiotics.
  • The majority of side effects were mild, transient, and affected the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system; no serious adverse events were reported.

Conclusions:

  • Data on the safety of pharmacotherapy for pediatric IBS and FAP-NOS are scarce.
  • Current evidence suggests that side effects are generally mild and transient, but high-quality research is lacking.
  • Further large, well-designed follow-up studies are necessary to establish a comprehensive safety profile.
Abstract

Keywords:
Irritable bowel syndromechildrenfunctional abdominal pain – not otherwise specifiedpharmacotherapyside effectssystematic review

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