Original article
Alimentary tract
Prevalence of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children and Adolescents in the Mediterranean Region of Europe

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2017.11.005Get rights and content

Background & Aims

Little is known about the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in children from the Mediterranean area of Europe. We aimed to assess the prevalence of FGIDs in children and adolescents in this region.

Methods

We collected data on 13,750 children (4–18 years old) enrolled in the Mediterranean–European Area Project, a school-based health study performed in Croatia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Serbia, and Spain. Data were collected from March to June and in September of 2016. We analyzed data from 6602 students 4 to 10 years old (group A; mean age, 7.7 ± 1.9 y), and 7148 subjects 11 to 18 years old (group B; mean age, 13.8 ± 2.1 y). Children with FGIDs were identified based on answers to questionnaires on pediatric gastrointestinal symptoms, selected based on Rome III criteria.

Results

In group A, the prevalence of FGIDs was 20.7%. The most frequent disorders were functional constipation (11.7%), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, 4%), aerophagia (3.5%), and abdominal migraine (3.1%). The prevalence of abdominal migraine was significantly higher in girls than in boys (P = .007). In group B, the overall prevalence of FGIDs was 26.6%. The most frequent disorders were functional constipation (13.1%), abdominal migraine (7.8%), aerophagia (6.3%), and IBS (5.6%). In group B, FGIDs had a higher prevalence among girls than boys (P < .001). In both groups, we found significant differences in the prevalence of specific disorders among specific countries.

Conclusions

In an analysis of data on children 4 to 18 years old from the Mediterranean–European Area Project, we found FGIDs to be more frequent in girls. Functional constipation, aerophagia, abdominal migraine, and IBS are the most common disorders. However, the prevalence of FGIDs varies significantly among countries.

Section snippets

Methods

This school-based, prospective, multicenter study was performed in 9 countries in the Mediterranean–European area: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Serbia, and Spain. To obtain a nationwide sample, we surveyed subjects aged 4 to 18 years enrolled in schools (nursery schools, primary schools, and secondary schools) distributed throughout the national territory of the involved countries, including both large cities and small centers. For each city, the schools were

Results

We surveyed a total of 13,750 subjects between 4 and 18 years of age from 9 countries in the Mediterranean–European area. The mean response rate was 69%. The number of subjects surveyed and the response rate in each participating country are shown in Table 1. Specifically, we included 6602 subjects between ages 4 and 10 years (group A: mean age, 7.7 ± 1.9 y; girls [females (F)], 50.8%), and 7148 subjects between ages 11 and 18 years (group B: mean age, 13.8 ± 2.1 y; F, 50.6%). The prevalence

Discussion

This school-based cross-sectional study recruited a large number of children and adolescents nationwide for each of the 9 included countries from the Mediterranean–European area, with the aim of evaluating the prevalence of FGIDs according to Rome III criteria by using an already established international network.

Our main finding was that 20.7% of children aged 4 to 10 years and 26.6% of adolescents aged 11 to 18 years fulfilled the Rome III criteria for at least 1 FGID. Although the data for

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Conflicts of interest The authors disclose no conflicts.

Funding This project was funded in part by the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

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