Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders

Download or read book Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders written by Klaartje de Bruijn and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are common chronic conditions among children and adolescents. These disorders are characterized by long lasting abdominal pain (longer than 2 months), where the gastrointestinal symptoms cannot be fully explained by another medical condition after appropriate clinical evaluation. According to the Rome IV criteria, four FAPDs subtypes exist: (1) functional dyspepsia (FD), (2) irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), (3) abdominal migraine (AM), and (4) functional abdominal pain – not otherwise specified (FAP-NOS). Pediatric FAPDs are associated with impaired quality of life, increased school and/or work absenteeism, and a higher risk on anxiety or depressive symptoms compared to healthy individuals. It is thought that FAPDs derive from a complex interplay of biopsychosocial factors, causing dysregulation of the gut-brain axis via immunological, hormonal and neural pathways, possibly leading to visceral hypersensitivity and gastrointestinal dysmotility. Since the exact pathophysiology of pediatric FAPDs is still not completely understood and the available treatment options are diverse, adequate management is sometimes challenging. In this thesis, we focused on the clinical evaluation of patients in order to customize FAPDs management. We evaluated the use of pictograms to improve symptom evaluation and assessed the impact of the presence of nausea (a common comorbid symptom in children with FAPDs) on both clinical and psychological characteristics of these patients. Moreover, we described the different management strategies of FAPDs. Current strategies in pediatric FAPDs management include education and reassurance, dietary interventions, non-pharmacological (psychosocial) and pharmacological treatment regimens. For children who continue to experience symptoms despite the available interventions, new treatment strategies might be beneficial. Therefore, we also discussed innovative future therapeutic approaches in this thesis."--