Childhood disorders of gut-brain interaction may persist into adulthood

Disorders of gut-brain interaction during childhood may continue until adulthood in some patients, reveals a study, noting that management monitoring should persist into adulthood.

Researchers reviewed the general practice records for more than 60,000 patients whose medical record spanned both childhood and adulthood years. Those with a diagnosis of organic gastrointestinal disorder were excluded. In addition, the research team examined the medical records for risk factors.

Of the patients, 11 percent with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 20 percent with functional dyspepsia (FD) diagnosed in childhood were again diagnosed with the same condition in adulthood.

Female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.02) appeared to contribute to IBS persistence, whereas a childhood diagnosis of gastritis (OR, 0.46) appeared protective against such risk. Use of NSAIDs in childhood (OR, 1.31, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.09‒1.56) also correlated with persistence in IBS.

On the other hand, a childhood diagnosis of asthma contributed to an increased risk of FS, as did anxiety for both IBS (OR, 1.24, 95 percent CI, 1.00‒1.54) and FD (OR, 1.48, 95 percent CI, 1.11‒1.97). A similar finding was noted for depression for IBS (OR, 1.34, 95 percent CI, 1.11‒1.62) and FD (OR, 1.88, 95 percent CI, 1.47‒2.42).

“Those diagnosed with anxiety or mood disorders in childhood should receive particular attention, and prescription of NSAIDs in children should be made judiciously,” the researchers said.