Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition最新文献

Refractory constipation (RC) in pediatric patients should be recognized as a distinct condition with long-term impacts on patient and family quality of life. RC requires a more targeted diagnostic evaluation and complex management strategy that may involve management by pediatric neurogastroenterology and motility specialists and multidisciplinary teams including surgeons. Currently, there is a lack of a clear definition, evaluation, and management strategies for RC. This is the first North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition position paper to address pediatric RC regarding its definition, evaluation, and management.

This review is intended to provide an overview of currently available literature related to caustic ingestion in pediatric patients, including initial management considerations in symptomatic versus asymptomatic children, timing and necessity of endoscopic evaluations, and the use of various therapeutic interventions. Further, this review provides management considerations for children presenting for evaluation following caustic ingestion based on the best available evidence. Additional research is needed to develop conclusive pediatric guidelines that meet GRADE criteria for management of caustic ingestion in children.

Objectives: Real-world data on ustekinumab for the treatment of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD) are limited. This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness, long-term durability, and safety of ustekinumab in the treatment of children with CD.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal cohort study of children with CD treated with ustekinumab from two large centers between 2015 and 2020 was performed. The primary outcome was frequency of steroid-free clinical remission at 1 year. Secondary outcomes included time to steroid-free clinical remission, frequency of clinical and biochemical remission, drug escalation and discontinuation, serum level data, and adverse events. Standard descriptive and comparative statistics were performed. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with steroid-free remission at 1 year. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to visualize time-to-event relationships for outcomes.

Results: A total of 101 patients were included. Median follow-up time on ustekinumab was 16.6 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 8.71-31.2) with drug failure in 28% at 1 year. Fifty-nine patients were in steroid-free clinical remission at 1 year. Higher baseline disease activity (odds ratio [OR]: 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84-0.97), p = 0.01) and stricturing/penetrating disease phenotype (OR: 0.14 (95% CI: 0.03-0.65), p = 0.02) were associated with decreased likelihood of steroid-free clinical remission at 1-year. Ustekinumab drug escalation occurred in 70% of patients, and after escalation, 50 (70%) achieved clinical remission, and 49 (69%) achieved steroid-free remission at the last follow-up. Adverse events were rare and did not require therapy discontinuation.

Conclusions: Ustekinumab is effective and safe in the treatment of children with CD. Escalation of therapy occurs frequently but results in sustained durability.

Objectives: Epidemiologic evidence on the association between intake of milk and dairy products and dental caries is limited, particularly in Asia. This cross-sectional study examined the association between the consumption of milk and dairy products and dental caries among Japanese children aged 3 years.

Methods: The study subjects were 6221 children. Parents or guardians completed a questionnaire, including a self-administered food frequency questionnaire for children. Dentists assessed dental caries, and these data were recorded in each child's maternal and child health handbook. Parents or guardians transcribed these data from the handbook to our questionnaire. Children were classified as having dental caries if they had one or more decayed or filled primary teeth. Associations with dental caries were assessed using logistic regression analysis with adjustments in demographics, dietary and lifestyle factors, and parental socioeconomic status.

Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 14.6%. Intakes of milk, cheese, and yogurt were associated with 21%, 26%, and 35% decreases, respectively, in the odds of the prevalence of dental caries (p = 0.02, 0.001, and 0.002, respectively), whereas the intake of other dairy products, such as probiotic milk, ice cream, or custard pudding, was associated with a 2.3-fold increase in the odds of the prevalence of dental caries (p < 0.0001). There was no association between intake of total dairy products and dental caries.

Conclusions: Consumption of milk, cheese, or yogurt had a beneficial effect on childhood dental caries, even in Japan where people consume relatively less milk and dairy products.

Objectives: Duodenal involvement in celiac disease (CD) can be patchy, with a subset of patients demonstrating histopathological involvement limited to the bulb. This study evaluates whether bulb-restricted CD represents a distinct subgroup associated with lower titers of immunoglobulin A anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody (TTG-IgA) compared to distal duodenal CD in pediatric patients. Additionally, we assess the impact of a no-biopsy approach for pediatric CD with TTG-IgA ≥10 times the upper limit of normal (TTG-IgA ≥10× ULN) on the relative frequency of bulb-restricted CD among biopsied patients.

Methods: Incident pediatric CD cases were identified retrospectively between 2017 and 2022. A no-biopsy approach for TTG-IgA ≥10× ULN was locally implemented in 2020. Serum TTG-IgA was categorized as negative, equivocal, positive TTG-IgA <10× ULN, and positive TTG-IgA≥ 10× ULN. Biopsies were classified by Marsh score and site of involvement.

Results: Of the 405 cases included (mean age = 9.6 years, female-to-male ratio = 2.1:1), bulb-restricted CD was present in 7.4%. TTG-IgA was negative or equivocal in 60.0% of bulb-restricted CD, compared to 5.3% of distal duodenal CD (odds ratio [OR] = 26.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [11.1-63.3], p < 0.001). Notably, no bulb-restricted CD cases attained TTG-IgA ≥10× ULN, compared to 48.5% of distal duodenal CD. Following local implementation of the no-biopsy approach for TTG-IgA ≥10× ULN, the relative percentage of bulb-restricted CD significantly increased from 4.6% to 12.4% (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = [1.4-6.4], p = 0.004).

Conclusion: Pediatric CD with isolated bulb pathology presents with lower serum TTG-IgA titers than cases with distal duodenal involvement. Implementation of the no-biopsy approach increased the relative proportion of bulb-limited CD, as these cases were not associated with TTG-IgA ≥10× ULN.

Objectives: Mucosal healing (MH) is a key therapeutic target in Crohn's disease (CD) and is associated with improved outcomes. While adult studies indicate a positive correlation between serum anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) levels and MH, data in pediatric patients is limited. We aimed to define the association of serum anti-TNF levels with MH in pediatric patients with CD during maintenance therapy.

Methods: Retrospective data (2014-2023) was collected from pediatric CD patients treated with infliximab or adalimumab who performed an ileocolonoscopy at least 26 weeks after initiating therapy. Serum anti-TNF levels around endoscopic time were compared with endoscopic findings. MH was defined as complete absence of inflammatory or ulcerative lesions across all segments of the gastrointestinal tract. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with MH.

Results: Data were obtained from 107 patients (41 infliximab and 66 adalimumab), with a median age at diagnosis of 12.6 (9.9-14.0) years. Median time until ileocolonoscopy following anti-TNF initiation was 89.0 (56.3-152.3) weeks. MH was identified in 31 (29.0%) patients. Anti-TNF serum levels were comparable in the MH and non-MH groups (9.5 [4.9-13.9] vs. 9.3 [6.4-15.7] µg/mL; p = 0.73), without differences in patients treated with infliximab or adalimumab. In multivariable analysis, diagnosis weight Z-score (odds ratio [OR] = 2.860, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.005-8.138; p = 0.049), along with C-reactive protein (OR = 0.037, 95% CI = 0.002-0.687; p = 0.027) and fecal calprotectin (OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.990-1.000; p = 0.037) at time of ileocolonoscopy were significantly associated with MH.

Conclusions: In our cohort, anti-TNF levels during maintenance were not associated with MH in pediatric CD.

Objectives: To evaluate diagnostic testing frequency/yield and determine drivers of hospital charges in a prospective cohort of infants with brief resolved unexplained event (BRUE) to test the hypothesis that length of stay (LOS), low-yield diagnostic testing, and repeat hospital visits increase costs.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of infants admitted after BRUE to determine how clinical practice impacts the cost of care. Charge data from our institution's billing records database included room and board, diagnostics, medications, and professional fees for index hospitalizations and 6-month follow-ups. Charts were reviewed for clinical data, testing results, and repeat hospitalizations. Parent-reported symptoms and management changes were obtained by questionnaires. Multivariable analyses with linear regression were conducted to determine risk factors for hospitalization charges and total charges including hospitalization and 6-month follow-up.

Results: The cohort included 155 subjects with median index hospitalization charges of $11,256 and total charges of $15,675. Overall, 76% had persistent BRUE symptoms and 15% repeat hospitalization; 34% were treated with acid suppression. Only 9.7% of the tests performed provided a potential diagnosis, but the videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) had the highest yield with 70% abnormal. On multivariable analysis, LOS, VFSS, flexible laryngoscopy, electroencephalogram, and repeat hospital visits were all associated with increased charges (fold change: 142%-354%).

Conclusions: Hospitalization and follow-up care are costly after BRUE. Potentially modifiable drivers of charges include test number, LOS, and repeat hospital visits. Most testing is low-yield, but timely performance of VFSS may allow for cost-effective and appropriate treatment of oropharyngeal dysphagia and prevention of persistent symptoms. Gastroenterologists are frequently involved in caring for these children and are uniquely positioned to help guide testing and treatment related to gastroesophageal reflux disease and oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Objectives: Refeeding syndrome (RS) defines the deleterious clinical and metabolic changes occurring during nutritional support of severely malnourished patients. Pediatric guidelines to prevent and treat RS are scarce and highly variable. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of an enteral refeeding protocol in severely undernourished hospitalized children with anorexia nervosa (AN) or organic diseases (OD).

Methods: This ancillary study to the Preventing Malnutrition and Restoring Nutritional Status in Hospitalized Children (PREDIRE) trial (NCT01081587), included severely undernourished children hospitalized between January 2010 and June 2018 and treated with an enteral refeeding protocol drafted for the study. The effectiveness was assessed by weight gain and safety by clinical and laboratory abnormality occurrence over the initial 3-week refeeding period, which represents the most critical period for the development of RS.

Results: After 3 weeks of refeeding, the mean weight for height ratio increased from 72% to 82%, and half of the patients with severe undernutrition improved their nutritional status. The prevalence of RS was 10.4%. No clinical cardiac or neurological complication occurred. The most frequent laboratory complication was hypophosphatemia in 13.7% of patients; but symptomatic in only two patients (2.5%). Compared with patients with OD, patients with AN improved their weight-for-height ratio faster without significantly more frequent complications, except for hepatic cytolysis which was less prevalent in AN (8.3% vs. 36.8%).

Conclusions: The proposed enteral refeeding protocol appears safe for treating severely undernourished children of different etiologies, with a low prevalence of RS and half of the patients recovered from severe malnutrition within a 3-week period.

This study investigated trends in suspected cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS)-related emergency department visits among youth (15-24 years old) in the United States between 2006 and 2020. Using data from the Nationwide Emergency Room Sample, over 55,000 suspected CHS-related visits were identified, with an average annual increase of 28.1% per year. This aligns with rising cannabis use and potency across the nation. Subjects in the western region, males, and those with public insurance were more likely to present with suspected CHS. These findings highlight the growing public health concern of CHS and emphasize the need for increased awareness among healthcare providers, particularly regarding the potential link between CHS and chronic cannabis use in youth. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and risk factors associated with CHS as well as the impact of cannabis public policy on health outcomes.