Multicountry cross-sectional study found that functional gastrointestinal disorders such as colic and functional dyschezia were common in South American infants

Abstract

Aim: Our aim was to perform a population-based study using Rome III criteria to describe the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in infants in three countries in South America.

Methods: We conducted a multicountry, cross-sectional study to investigate the epidemiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders in children aged 0-12 months of age, using the Rome III criteria, in Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua. These patients presented for well-child visits in primary care clinics in the three countries between May 2015 and October 2016. A Spanish version of the Questionnaire on Paediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms for Infants and Toddlers was used for the data collection.

Results: We included questionnaires completed by 351 parents, and they reported at least one FGID in 141 (40%) infants. The majority were male (56%), with a median age of seven months. Colic and functional dyschezia were the most commonly diagnosed disorders in the whole cohort, at 23% and 15%, respectively. The risk of developing FGIDs was not affected by the marital status of the mother, number of siblings, birth order and history of diarrhoea.

Conclusion: Functional gastrointestinal disorders were common in infants from the South American countries of Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua, particularly colic and functional dyschezia.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Functional gastrointestinal disorders; Infants; Rome III criteria; South America.