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Vomiting and Gastric Motility in Early Brain Damaged Children With Congenital Zika Syndrome

Georgia Lima de Paula1,2,3, Giselia Alves Pontes da Silva1, Eduardo Just da Costa E Silva1,3

  • 1From the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|June 2, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) often experience vomiting and feeding difficulties due to impaired gastric emptying. Severe dysphagia and tube feeding correlate with poorer gastric motility in these patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) can lead to significant feeding challenges in affected children.
  • Dysphagia is a common complication, impacting nutritional intake and overall health.
  • Gastric dysmotility may contribute to feeding difficulties, but its prevalence and impact in CZS are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the occurrence of vomiting and gastric dysmotility in children with CZS.
  • To assess the association between these gastrointestinal issues, dysphagia severity, and the need for tube feeding.
  • To compare gastric emptying in CZS patients with healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Forty-six children with CZS underwent assessment for dysphagia, vomiting, and feeding tolerance.
  • Gastric antrum ultrasonography was employed to evaluate antral contractions and calculate gastric emptying rate (GER).
  • Findings were compared between CZS patients (stratified by dysphagia severity and tube feeding status) and ten healthy controls.

Main Results:

  • A high prevalence of moderate-to-severe dysphagia (76%) and vomiting (54%) was observed in CZS children.
  • Impaired gastric emptying, with GER eight-fold lower than controls, was noted in CZS patients.
  • Children requiring tube feeding due to severe dysphagia exhibited significantly delayed gastric emptying (60-fold lower GER).

Conclusions:

  • Vomiting, volume intolerance, and prolonged feeding times are frequent in dysphagic children with CZS.
  • These symptoms are likely linked to impaired gastric antral contractions and delayed gastric emptying.
  • Gastric dysmotility appears particularly pronounced in severe cases requiring tube feeding, highlighting a critical area for intervention.
Abstract

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