Higher Prevalence of Obesity Among Children with Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders

Overview

Journal BMC Pediatr

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2020 May 8

PMID 32375714

Citations 11

Authors

Tut Galai

Hadar Moran-Lev

Shlomi Cohen

Amir Ben-Tov

Dina Levy

Yael Weintraub

Achiya Amir

Or Segev

Anat Yerushalmy-Feler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Functional abdominal pain (FAP) disorders are one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in children. We aimed to define the association between obesity and functional abdominal pain (FAP) disorders and to assess differences between overweight/obese children and normal weight children with FAP disorders.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of children (2-18 years old) with a clinical diagnosis of FAP who were followed-up in our pediatric gastroenterology unit between 1/2016-10/2018. FAP disorders were defined according to the ROME IV criteria. Body mass index (BMI) percentiles were defined by CDC standards. Patients with BMIs ≥85th percentile were designated as being overweight/obese. A population control group was obtained from the 2015-2016 Israel national health survey.

Results: Data from 173 children with FAP disorders (median age 11.5 years, 114 females) were included. Seventy-one children (41%) were classified as having functional abdominal pain-NOS, 67 (38.7%) as having irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 35 (20.2%) has having functional dyspepsia. Fifty-three children (30.6%) were classified as being overweight/obese. Adolescents with FAP disorders had a significantly higher prevalence of overweight/obesity compared to controls (39.5% vs. 30%, respectively, p = 0.04). Children with FAP and overweight were older [12.4 (range 9.8-15.3) vs. 10.8 (7.4-14.1) years, p = 0.04] and had more hospitalizations due to FAP (20.8% vs. 7.6%, p = 0.01) compared to Children with FAP and normal weight.

Conclusions: Adolescents with FAP had higher prevalence of overweight/obesity compared to controls. Future studies are warranted to raise awareness of weight issues in FAP and determine the effect of weight loss on FAP.

Citing Articles

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Childhood Obesity: The Role of Diet and Its Impact on Microbiota.

Calcaterra V, Cena H, Loperfido F, Porri D, Basilico S, Gazzola C Nutrients. 2025; 17(1.

PMID: 39796556 PMC: 11722901. DOI: 10.3390/nu17010123.

Overview of Pediatric Obesity as a Disease.

Waldrop S, Ibrahim A, Maya J, Monthe-Dreze C, Stanford F Pediatr Clin North Am. 2024; 71(5):761-779.

PMID: 39343491 PMC: 11443063. DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2024.06.003.

Assesment of functional gastrointestinal diseases in obese children.

Kiyak U, Urganci N, Usta M Eur J Pediatr. 2023; 182(11):4949-4955.

PMID: 37606702 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-023-05165-z.

Functional abdominal pain disorders in children in southern Anhui Province, China are related to academic stress rather than academic performance.

Bao X, Yu W, Chu Z, Gao J, Zhou M, Gu Y BMC Pediatr. 2023; 23(1):333.

PMID: 37386380 PMC: 10308753. DOI: 10.1186/s12887-023-04154-3.

Nutritional Status and Selected Adipokines in Children with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Roczniak W, Szymlak A, Mazur B, Chobot A, Stojewska M, Oswiecimska J Nutrients. 2022; 14(24).

PMID: 36558441 PMC: 9782519. DOI: 10.3390/nu14245282.

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