Acute Gastroenteritis Is a Risk Factor for the Development of Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction in Children

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is the most common disease predisposing to the development of disorders of gut-brain interactions (DGBIs) in adults (postinfectious DGBI [PI-DGBI]). There is paucity of data on incidence and risk factors for the development of PI-DGBI in children. The aims of this study are to (i) assess whether AGE predisposes children to the development of PI-DGBI and (ii) assess whether the severity of AGE is associated with the development of PI-DGBI.

This was a prospective, controlled, cohort study. Children with recent AGE (cases) and siblings (controls) were followed for 6 months. We assessed DGBIs using a validated questionnaire (QPGS IV) per Rome criteria.

Forty-nine cases and 55 controls were enrolled; 4 cases (8.1%) and 1 control (1.8%) had a previous diagnosis of DGBI. At 3 months, 10 cases (20.4%) were diagnosed with DGBI vs 1 (1.8%) control ( P = 0.00). Among children without a history of DGBI before the AGE, 6 (12.2%) cases vs 0 control were diagnosed with DGBI ( P = 0.01) at follow-up. At 6 months, 5 cases (1 lost to follow-up) vs 0 control had persistent DGBI ( P = 0.03). Severity of AGE was correlated with PI-DGBI (ρ = 0.707, P = 0.00).

Children with AGE are more likely to develop DGBIs compared with controls. AGE symptom severity is associated with PI-DGBI.