Are alarm symptoms of the Rome IV criteria enough to rule out organic pathology?

The Rome IV criteria offer symptom-based recommendations for diagnosing functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGID) in children and adolescents without esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of Rome IV criteria for ruling out organic disease in patients with and without alarm symptoms.

Retrospective research was conducted on children and adolescents who had dyspepsia and underwent EGD. The patients were categorized into groups according to the Rome IV criteria, based on the presence or absence of alarm signs. The esophagogastroduodenoscopy findings in these groups were then compared and classified as either altered or normal.

Seventy-seven of 124 cases (62%) had altered EGD findings, and 97.2% (75/77) of altered EGD patients had histopathological findings. In the study population, the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was 46.7%. Seventy-four of 124 cases (59.7%) had no alarm symptoms and were diagnosed with FGID according to Rome IV criteria. Thirty-six (48%) of these patients had altered EGD, and five of these patients had duodenal ulcers. Patients without alarm symptoms were compared based on altered versus normal EGD findings. Helicobacter pylori was significantly more abundant in the altered EGD group. Fifty (40.3%) of 124 patients had one or more alarm symptoms and 41 of 50 (82%) cases with alarm symptoms had altered EGD. When patients with altered and normal EGD findings were compared, alarm symptoms, H. pylori, and histopathological findings were higher in the altered EGD group.

The Rome IV criteria are effective for alarm-symptom-positive patients. However, in patients lacking alarm symptoms, the Rome IV criteria are insufficient to rule out organic causes.