Prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in infants and young children in China

Abstract

Background The prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in children, particularly from Asia, is largely unknown. There are not many studies done in Asia especially using the Rome IV criteria. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of FGIDs in infants and young children in a representative sample in China. Methods A prospective, cross-sectional, community-based survey was conducted among healthy infants and young children between the ages of 0–4 years in Jinhua and Shanghai, China. A total of 2604 subjects (1300 subjects from Jinhua and 1304 subjects from Shanghai) completed a validated questionnaire on pediatric gastrointestinal symptoms. FGIDs in infants and young children were diagnosed using the Rome IV criteria. Results According to the Rome IV criteria, the prevalence of having a FGID in Chinese infants and young children is 27.3%. Infant regurgitation (33.9%) was the most common FGID among the 0–6 months old while functional constipation (7.0%) was the most common among the 1–4 years old. Risk factor analysis revealed that prevalence of infantile colic was higher with better maternal education and low birth weight. Prevalence of infantile regurgitation was significantly greater in males, living in a rural area, being exclusively breast fed at least up to 4 months and starting formula feeds within the first month. The risk of functional constipation was lower for infants who were delivered vaginally. Conclusions Infantile regurgitation was the most common FGID in Chinese infants while functional constipation was most prevalent among young Chinese children. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Registry Identifier: NL6973/NTR7161.

Development of the digestive system in early infancy and nutritional management of digestive problems in breastfed and formula-fed infants

“…5,7 Therefore, infant formulas are digested differently from human milk, which is the reason for the occurrence of mild digestive problems in formula-fed infants. 8–10…”

A Narrative Review on the Update in the Prevalence of Infantile Colic, Regurgitation, and Constipation in Young Children: Implications of the ROME IV Criteria

“…Other studies collected data through surveys among caregivers (mostly mothers). There were two studies (16%) from the Middle East ( 11 , 15 ), three (25%) from Asia ( 10 , 13 , 16 ), two (16%) from the USA ( 14 , 17 ), three (25 %) from Europe and one (8%) from Africa ( 9 ).…”

“…The prevalence of colic assessed using the ROME IV criteria was 14.9% (10), whereas the prevalence assessed using the ROME III criteria was 10.4% (14). In studies among infants aged 0-12 months, the reported prevalence of colic assessed using the ROME IV criteria ranged from 1.9 to 19.2% (13,18).…”

“…Among the seven studies reporting the prevalence of colic, two (28%) used the ROME III criteria (4,14), four (57%) used the ROME IV criteria (9,10,13,18), and one (14%) applied both the ROME III and ROME IV criteria (17) (Table 2). Among the seven studies reporting the prevalence of regurgitation, one (14%) used the Infant Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Questionnaire Revised (I-GERQ-R) (19), two (28%) used the ROME III criteria (4,14) and three (42%) used the ROME IV criteria (10,13,18) and one (14%) used both the ROME III and IV criteria (17). Among the twelve studies reporting the prevalence of constipation, six (50%) used the ROME III criteria (4,11,(14)(15)(16)20), five (42%) applied the ROME IV criteria (9, 10, 13, 18), and one (8%) used both the ROME III and ROME IV criteria (17).…”

“…The overall prevalence of FGIDs among children aged 0–18 years ranges from 7 to 30% ( 3 , 5 , 8 ). The latest studies reported an estimated prevalence of 31.4% among infants aged 0–1 year coming to pediatric clinics in 10 African countries ( 9 ), 7% among children aged 0–4 years in China ( 10 ) and 22% among children aged 0–5 years in Saudi Arabia ( 11 ). One of the reasons for the differences in the prevalence of FGIDs is the use of different diagnostic criteria.…”