Screening for functional gastrointestinal disorders in children with epilepsy

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Pediatric Neurology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common in the general pediatric population.
• Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition affecting children worldwide.
• The co-occurrence and characteristics of FGIDs in pediatric epilepsy patients are not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of FGIDs in children diagnosed with epilepsy.
• To investigate the association between FGIDs and specific epilepsy characteristics.
• To compare FGID prevalence in pediatric epilepsy patients versus healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving pediatric patients (4-18 years) with epilepsy and age/sex-matched healthy controls.
• Exclusion criteria included cerebral palsy, abdominal surgery history, other GI disorders, specific medications, recent GI infections, and ketogenic diet.
• Rome IV criteria were used for FGID screening; epilepsy type, seizure frequency, and antiepileptic drug (AED) requirements were analyzed.

Main Results:

• 33.3% of epilepsy patients (n=78) had FGIDs versus 19.2% of controls (p<0.001).
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was the most common FGID in epilepsy patients.
• No significant differences in epilepsy type, seizure frequency, or AEDs were found between epilepsy patients with and without FGIDs.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric patients with epilepsy exhibit a significantly higher prevalence of FGIDs compared to healthy children.
• The study highlights the need for increased awareness and screening of FGIDs in children with epilepsy.
• Gastrointestinal symptom evaluation should be a routine part of care for pediatric epilepsy patients.