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Post-infectious functional gastrointestinal disorders in children after a non-severe dengue episode without warning
Carlos Alberto Velasco-Benítez1, Claudia Jimena Ortiz-Rivera
1Departamento de Pediatría, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. carlos.velasco@correounivalle.edu.co.
Insights
Non-severe dengue (a viral infection) did not significantly increase the risk of functional gastrointestinal disorders or related abdominal pain in children up to 12 months post-infection. This finding suggests a low long-term gastrointestinal impact from mild dengue cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) can be triggered by infectious agents, including viruses.
- Dengue virus infection is a significant public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.
- Understanding the long-term sequelae of non-severe dengue virus infection in children is crucial for comprehensive healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and development of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in children following an episode of non-severe dengue without warning signs.
- To assess the risk of FGIDs and associated abdominal pain at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-dengue infection.
- To compare FGID development in children who experienced non-severe dengue with a healthy control group.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study was conducted involving 73 children diagnosed with non-severe dengue and 62 healthy controls in Cali, Colombia.
- The Questionnaire for Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rome III (QPGS-III) was used to identify FGIDs at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-dengue.
- Statistical analyses included measures of central tendency, relative risk, chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test (p<0.05 significance).
Main Results:
- A total of 135 children (mean age 10.7±1.9 years, 51.1% male) were included in the study.
- Overall, 19.3% of participants developed FGIDs, with 9.6% experiencing FGID-related abdominal pain.
- While a trend suggested a higher risk of FGIDs and abdominal pain post-dengue, no statistically significant differences were observed between dengue-affected children and controls at any follow-up point.
Conclusions:
- Non-severe dengue virus infection without warning signs does not appear to significantly increase the risk of developing functional gastrointestinal disorders in children.
- The study indicates that FGIDs and related abdominal pain are not a significant long-term gastrointestinal complication following mild dengue episodes in pediatric populations.
- Further research may explore potential subtle gastrointestinal changes or other FGID triggers in children post-dengue.
Abstract:
Introduction: The pathogenesis of functional gastrointestinal disorders involves infectious agents such as viruses. Objective: To study the development of functional gastrointestinal disorders 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after an episode of non-severe dengue without warning signs in children. Materials and methods: We conducted a cohort study in 73 children diagnosed with non-severe dengue without warning signs at Hospital Universitario del Valle “Evaristo García” and 62 healthy children from Cali, Colombia. Using the Questionnaire for Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rome III (QPGS-III) in Spanish we identified functional gastrointestinal disorders 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after non-severe dengue without warning signs. Measurements of central tendency, relative risk, chi square, and Fisher’s exact test were performed, with p<0.05 being significant. Results: We included 135 children who were 10.7±1.9 years old; 51.1% of them were male and 19.3% had a functional gastrointestinal disorder (9.6% of them had abdominal pain related to functional gastrointestinal disorders). There was a greater risk to present a functional gastrointestinal disorder and related abdominal pain in children after non-severe dengue without warning signs at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of follow-up, but without significant differences. Conclusion: Our study suggests that non-severe dengue without warning signs does not increase the risk of functional gastrointestinal disorders and related abdominal pain for up to 12 months of follow-up.
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