Gastrointestinal infections are the most common trigger for pain-predominant disorders of gut-brain interaction in children, a study published July 14 in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition found.
The study, led by Beate Beinvogl, MD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, analyzed questionnaire responses from 252 pediatric patients at a tertiary care center’s abdominal pain program, according to a July 28 HCPLive news release. Researchers found that 41% of patients developed symptoms following a GI infection. Other common triggers included extraintestinal infections, psychological stress and concussion.
More than 91% of patients had at least one vulnerability factor, such as chronic pain, early life infections or a family history of mental health conditions. A higher number of vulnerabilities was linked to worse functional impairment, but not increased pain intensity.
