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Children and Adolescents with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Treatment and Management
Ankita Wal1, Pranay Wal1, Neha Verma1
1Department of Pharmacy, Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology, Nh2 Kanpur Agra Highway Bhaunti, Kanpur, UP, India.
Insights
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in children can be effectively managed with a combination of therapies. This review highlights treatment options to improve symptoms and quality of life for pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Clinical Therapeutics
- Systematic Review
Background:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder causing abdominal pain in children and adolescents, impacting their quality of life.
- IBS is associated with gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea and constipation, with its exact etiology remaining unclear.
- Current understanding and treatment options for pediatric IBS are often extrapolated from adult studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in children and adolescents.
- To review pharmacological interventions including antidepressants, antispasmodics, prokinetics, and antibiotics for pediatric IBS.
- To highlight the need for further research into effective pediatric IBS therapies.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of relevant literature from the past ten years.
- Searched databases including Science Direct, Elsevier, NCBI, and Web of Science.
- Focused on pathophysiology and the role of various pharmacological agents in pediatric IBS.
Main Results:
- Limited prospective therapies have been investigated and proven effective in children.
- Case studies indicate combination therapies are more effective than placebo in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life.
- Significant gaps exist in understanding pediatric IBS pathophysiology and treatment, often relying on adult data.
Conclusions:
- Systematic reviews on pediatric IBS medication efficacy require further investigation due to varied study designs.
- Highlights therapeutic options like antidepressants, antispasmodics, prokinetics, and antibiotics for pediatric IBS.
- The primary goal is symptom alleviation and enhanced quality of life for affected children.
Background:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that causes stomach pain in children and adolescents. It may also impact one's quality of life. IBS is linked to gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea and constipation. Despite the identification of several potential pathophysiological pathways, the aetiology of IBS remained unknown.
Objective:
The aim of this paper is to discuss the diagnosis, pathogenesis, case studies and treatment of Irritable bowel syndrome in children and adolescents.
Methods:
This systematic review covered relevant papers from the previous ten years that were accessible in Science Direct, Elsevier, NCBI, and Web of Science related to the pathophysiology and function of pharmacological drugs such as antidepressants, antispasmodics, prokinetics, and antibiotics in children with irritable bowel syndrome.
Results:
Only a few prospective therapy techniques have been investigated in children, and even fewer of those have been demonstrated to be effective. This article presents case studies including 50-59 children, which demonstrate a favourable acceptable impact that is more effective than a placebo in terms of reducing symptoms and improving the overall quality of life in children who have irritable bowel syndrome. Furthermore, the majority of the pathophysiological explanations and treatment options discussed are based on adult studies. These major issues arose when treating paediatric IBS, and they must be addressed in order to properly treat children with IBS. Trials that focus on many combinations of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies seem to be more helpful.
Discussion:
In recent years, a number of systematic reviews have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of medication treatments in children for IBS; however, the dependability of these systematic reviews needs to be further investigated owing to the various experimental designs and levels of evidence used. This article highlights paediatric therapy options, including pharmaceutical medications such as antidepressants, antispasmodics, prokinetics, and antibiotics. The goal is to alleviate IBS symptoms while also enhancing the quality of life for children with this illness.
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