Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Functional gastrointestinal disorders from childhood to adulthood
  3. In children and adolescents
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • Partnerships
    • Press room
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
    • Xpeer App
  • Useful documents
    • Infographics
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Functional gastrointestinal disorders from childhood to adulthood
  3. In children and adolescents
Gastroenterology

In children and adolescents

Functional gastrointestinal disorders
Pediatrics Gastroenterology

Functional abdominal pain associated with pediatric FGIDs may assume various forms which should be clearly identified for correct management. In many cases it is triggered by irritable bowel syndrome.7

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • Partnerships
    • Press room
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
    • Xpeer App
  • Useful documents
    • Infographics
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail

Sections

About this article

Created 15 October 2019
Updated 27 October 2021

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF FUNCTIONAL ABDOMINAL PAIN

Functional abdominal pain is one of the most common syndromes in children, with an estimated global prevalence of 13.5% in 2014.11 Most causes are functional and involve changes in visceral sensation (hyperalgesia) and impaired gastrointestinal motility. The former are expressed as discomfort and pain, the latter as diarrhea or constipation, nausea, bloating, distension… The diversity of symptoms observed led the Rome Foundation to distinguish four broad categories of functional abdominal pain in children: irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, abdominal migraine and functional abdominal pain not belonging to any of the above-mentioned categories.11

IBS: A CULTURAL PERCEPTION?

Even though irritable bowel syndrome is the most common FGID in children and a real public health issue at global level, it remains overlooked. The very perception of this condition seems to vary significantly between countries and studies, since its prevalence varies from 5.1% in the United States to 22.6% in Turkey, and ranges from 2.8% to 25.7% in some Asian countries. Such differences could possibly be ascribed to local particularities, but are more probably due to interpretations of the Rome IV diagnostic criteria that vary depending on culture, relationship to pain and what is considered a true disease–and not a simple change in bowel movements.

IBS IN CHILDREN: HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT

Characterized by a less diverse gastrointestinal microbiota (especially in contact with the mucosa), increased levels of some Clostridia and Firmicutes (Veillonella) and reduced levels of bifidobacteria (Table 1), IBS represents 40 to 45% of FGIDs in children. The therapeutic education of the parents occupies a central place in its treatment, as their anxiety can have a significant impact on the severity of symptoms and the efficacy of treatment, whether it is pharmacological or not. Standard drugs are those used to treat IBS in adults: gastrointestinal motility stimulants, antispasmodic agents, antacids, antihistamines, antireflux agents… whose efficacy has not been evaluated. A literature review suggests that among non-pharmacological treatments, some psychological approaches (mental imagery, hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy, yoga) could help improve the child’s health. In view of the disruptions of the microbiota identified in young IBS patients, the use of probiotics is also a promising therapeutic option.

Image
FGIDS-In-children-infography1

PREDISPOSITION AND PREVENTION

A multitude of factors predispose to the development of IBS: gender, age, psychological factors, neonatal trauma, gastrointestinal infections, asthma, atopic disorders, diet, socioeconomic, familial and environmental factors… Some of these may represent potential areas for the implementation of preventive actions which would aim to reduce the prevalence of disorders in children and adults weakened during their childhood, as well as decrease individual and societal healthcare costs. It is the responsibility of the different healthcare systems to prioritize their approaches and actions according to risks, needs, and possibilities.

Sources

7 Devanarayana NM, Rajindrajith S. Irritable bowel syndrome in children: Current knowledge, challenges and opportunities. World J Gastroenterol. 2018 Jun 7

11 Korterink JJ, Diederen K, Benninga MA, Tabbers MM. Epidemiology of pediatric functional abdominal pain disorders: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0126982. 

12 Korterink J, Devanarayana NM, Rajindrajith S, Vlieger A, Benninga MA. Childhood functional abdominal pain: mechanisms and management. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015;12(3):159-171.

Old sources

 

 

Tags
FMT IBS FMT Dysbiosis Gut health Functional gastrointestinal disorders

en_view en_sources

    Focus
    Functional gastrointestinal disorders from childhood to adulthood
    • Pathophysiology
      • Functional gastrointestinal disorders: a set of diseases defined in correlation with the intestinal microbiota
      • Focus on the gut-brain axis
    • FGIDS: from infants to adults
      • In newborns
      • In children and adolescents
      • In adults
    • What could be the role of microbiota modulation?
      • Modulation of the microbiota by FMT: controversial results
      • FODMAP-free diet: not for all patients
      • Probiotics: what are the benefits?
    • Expert opinion
      • Dr. Marc Bellaiche: Managing FGIDs in children
    Created 15 October 2019
    Updated 27 October 2021

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders

    Medical practice

    Pediatrics Gastroenterology

    Content type

    Dossier detail
    In newborns
    In adults
    Focus

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders from childhood to adulthood

    Pathophysiology

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders: a set of diseases defined in correlation with the intestinal microbiota Focus on the gut-brain axis

    FGIDS: from infants to adults

    In newborns In children and adolescents In adults

    What could be the role of microbiota modulation?

    Modulation of the microbiota by FMT: controversial results FODMAP-free diet: not for all patients Probiotics: what are the benefits?

    Expert opinion

    Dr. Marc Bellaiche: Managing FGIDs in children

    Continue reading

    News

    Your IBS Diagnosis Check List

    How many patients suffering from gut disorder do you see per week? How many are diagnosed with Irritable Bo...

    Find out more

    Everything you need to know about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

    Accrediting training, infographics, expert’s video, thematic folder, news… Biocodex Microbiota Institute pr...

    Find out more

    Infographics to share with your patients!

    Download original graphic material to explain to your patients the role of the microbiota in their daily he...

    Find out more
    13.01.2023

    Insomnia in seniors: a link with the gut microbiota

    Read the article

    Gut Microbiota #17

    By Pr. Satu PekkalaAcademy of Finland Research Fellow, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of ...

    Find out more

    Impact of beer and non alcoholic comsumption on the gut microbiota

    By Pr. Bernd SchnablDivision of Gastroenterology, San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC), UC ...

    Find out more

    Gut Microbiota # 16

    By Pr. Satu PekkalaAcademy of Finland Research Fellow, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of ...

    Find out more

    Highlights from the UEGW

    By Dr. Lucas WautersGastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Find out more
    What's worth reading about microbiota
    Follow us on Twitter
    Read our thematic folder
    The Janus face of Antibiotics: Life Savers & Microbiota Disrupters
    NL13_cover
    Check out latest newsletter
    IBS, Microbiota & Covid-19
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographics
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographics
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    23.01.2023

    Idiopathic urethritis in men: new infectious etiologies?

    Read the article

    Impact of beer and non alcoholic comsumption on the gut microbiota

    By Pr. Bernd SchnablDivision of Gastroenterology, San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC), UC ...

    Find out more

    Skin Microbiota #17

    By Pr. Satu PekkalaAcademy of Finland Research Fellow, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of ...

    Find out more

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographics
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

    © 2022 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Cookies Policy
    • Data protection policy
    • GTU
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    Biocodex logo