Clonazepam Treatment of Pathologic Aerophagia in Children with Mental Retardation / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

PURPOSE: Pathologic aerophagia (PA) may lead to bowel perforation or volvulus in mentally retarded patients. The authors investigated the effects of clonazepam on the management of PA in children with severe to profound mental retardation (MR). METHODS: This study was undertaken as a retrospective case analysis of 21 PA patients with MR who were followed for over 12 months and diagnosed as having PA. Patients were assigned to two management groups, that is, to a clonazepam randomized open-labeled, treatment group or a reassurance group. The following were recorded and analyzed; age, response, remission rate to clonazepam treatment, and the side effect of clonazepam. It was defined positive response (response+) as being symptom-free for a whole week within 1 month of commencing treatment and remission(+) as being symptom-free for a whole month within 6 months of treatment. RESULTS: The average age of the 21 PA children with MR was 10 years and 13 patients were female. Symptom duration before diagnosis of PA was 7 months. Clinical features of the clonazepam-trial group (n=11) and the reassurance group (n=10) were non-significantly different. Response(+) was achieved by 2 patients (18.2%) in the clonazepam-trial group and by no patient in the reassurance group. Remission(+) was achieved by 6 patients (54.5%) in the clonazepam-trial group and by one patient (10%) in the reassurance group (p=0.040). CONCLUSION: When PA children with MR with severe bowel distention are considered for surgical treatment to prevent acute abdomen, a trial of clonazepam could be recommended.

Is This Symptom Even a Food Allergy?: Clinical Types of Food Protein-induced Enterocolitis Syndrome / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is an under-recognized non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy. The diagnosis of FPIES is based on clinical history, sequential symptoms and the timing, after excluding other possible causes. It is definitively diagnosed by an oral food challenge test. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of FPIES is frequently delayed because of non-specific symptoms and insufficient definitive diagnostic biomarkers. FPIES is not well recognized by clinicians; the affected infants are often mismanaged as having viral gastroenteritis, food poisoning, sepsis, or a surgical disease. Familiarity with the clinical features of FPIES and awareness of the indexes of suspicion for FPIES are important to diagnose FPIES. Understanding the recently defined clinical terms and types of FPIES is mandatory to suspect and correctly diagnose FPIES. The aim of this review is to provide a case-driven presentation as a guide of how to recognize the clinical features of FPIES to improve diagnosis and management of patients with FPIES.

Food protein-induced proctocolitis: Is this allergic disorder a reality or a phantom in neonates? / 소아과

The etiology of small and fresh rectal bleeding in neonates who are not sick is usually unknown; the only known cause is food protein-induced proctocolitis (FPIPC). It has been recently reported that FPIPC is a rare cause of rectal bleeding in newborns, and most cases have been proved to be due to idiopathic neonatal transient colitis. A recommended strategy for diagnosing suspected FPIPC in neonates is as follows. During the early stage, the etiology of small and fresh rectal bleeding in an otherwise healthy newborn need not be studied through extensive investigations. In patients showing continued bleeding even after 4 days, sigmoidoscopy and rectal mucosal biopsy may be performed. Even if mucosal histological findings indicate a diagnosis of FPIPC, further oral food elimination and challenge tests must be performed sequentially to confirm FPIPC. Food elimination and challenge tests should be included in the diagnostic criteria of FPIPC.

Epstein-Barr Virus Infection with Acute Pancreatitis Associated with Cholestatic Hepatitis / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Infection-induced acute hepatitis complicated with acute pancreatitis is associated with hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus or hepatitis E virus. Although rare, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection should be considered also in the differential diagnosis if the patient has acute hepatitis combined with pancreatitis. We report a case of EBV infection with cholestatic hepatitis and pancreatitis with review of literature. An 11-year-old female was admitted due to 1-day history of abdominal pain and vomiting without any clinical symptoms of infectious mononucleosis. Diagnosis of reactivated EBV infection was made by the positive result of viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgM, VCA IgG, Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen and heterophile antibody test. We performed serologic tests and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography to exclude other viral or bacterial infection, autoimmune disorder, and structural problems. The patient's symptoms recovered rapidly and blood chemistry returned to normal with conservative treatment similar to previously reported cases.

Clinical approaches to failure to thrive of infants and toddlers: a new paradigm

Failure to thrive (FTT) is a term used to describe growth failure in infants and toddlers. The three categories of FTT are based on anthropometric measurements of weight, length, and head circumference for age. Type 1 FTT is the failure to gain weight due mainly to inadequate nutrition. Type 2 FTT is a clinical condition associated with short stature induced by endocrine or genetic factors. Type 3 FTT results from chromosome anomalies or central nervous system abnormalities. Pediatric endocrinologists may be involved in treating patients with short stature of type 2 FTT. Pediatric gastroenterologists may be interested in patients with malnutrition of type 1 FTT, and pediatric psychologists may play a major roll in treating those with non-organic FTT or feeding disorders. This review introduces a new paradigm of clinical approaches to FTT in infants and toddlers to emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary clinical approaches to FTT.

Cytomegalovirus-associated esophageal ulcer in an immunocompetent infant: When should ganciclovir be administered? / 소아과

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated esophageal ulcer is rare in immunocompetent infants. The presence of inclusion bodies and immunohistochemical staining for CMV in biopsy specimens obtained during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) indicate that such ulcers occur because of CMV infection. A 7-week-old female infant who experienced frequent vomiting and feeding intolerance was diagnosed with a massive CMV-associated ulcer in the distal esophagus. The ulcer improved after conservative treatment using proton-pump inhibitors; however, ganciclovir was not administered. In a follow-up EGD biopsy specimen, no CMV inclusion bodies were present, and immunohistochemical staining results for this virus were negative. The presence of CMV inclusion bodies indicates active viral replication. If persistent inclusion bodies or positive immunohistochemical staining for CMV is observed in follow-up biopsy specimens, ganciclovir may be used to treat CMV-associated esophageal ulcers.

Effective Management of Gastroparesis with Erythromycin after Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication: A case report

Delayed gastric emptying (DGE)commonly occurs after Nissen fundoplication in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Since the understanding of its pathogenesis is insufficient, an effective method of management has not yet been suggested. The authors report a case of a 16-year-old girl with DGE after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and treated with intravenous injection of low dose erythromycin.

Acute and chronic diarrhea in children: back to the basics again

No abstract available.

The dietary therapy and use of probiotics in the treatment of pediatric acute diarrhea

In the process of medical care of acute diarrhea in children, two pathophysiologic aspects should be considered: dehydration associated with electrolyte imbalance, and nutritional disorder. It is important to continue to provide foods easy to digest with appropriate recipes from the early stage after a remedy of dehydration using oral rehydration solution or intravenous fluid therapy according to patients' condition. Nil per os or diluted diet can slow the recovery of an intestinal function and lengthen the diarrheal period. Although the damage on the intestinal mucosa occurs from various causes, the gastrointestinal mucosa maximizes absorbing capacity by expanding the area of a surface. Early oral-feeding contributes to restoring mucosa favorably and thus facilitates a rapid improvement of symptoms. Breast-feeding should continue to be performed in the midst of rehydration, and lactose-containing regular cow's milk formula is recommended for cow's milk-fed patients after rehydration. In mild or severe acute diarrhea, administering probiotics in conjunction with feeding is expected to shorten the diarrheal period.

Toward an objective definition of diarrhea for differential diagnosis of chronic diarrhea in infants and toddlers

Among infants and toddlers with chronic frequent loose stool, normal frequent and loose stool (NFLS) is more common than diarrheal illness with dehydration and nutritional deficiency (DIDN). To identify more objective factors for differentiating between NFLS and DIDN is important. The frequency, mucus content, and microbiological findings of stools, as well as diaper dermatitis are not important factors to significantly differentiate the groups. Instead, a failure to gain weight, fever, colic/abdominal pain, gross blood in stool (except allergic proctocolitis), nocturnal stool, and the score of the stool quantity are important factors to significantly differentiate the groups. A failure to gain weight is also observed even in NFLS, which may come from iatrogenic diet manipulation with nutritionally deficient food. The most objective differential factors are nocturnal stool and the score of stool amount (> or =7 points/day). The use of these objective factors could lessen parental anxiety and distress, iatrogenic undernutrition of patients, and socioeconomic loss due to improper medical investigations or inappropriate management of NFLS.

Acute Pancreatitis Induced by Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine Proven by Single and Low Dose Challenge Testing in a Child with Crohn Disease / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

We report here a case of drug-induced acute pancreatitis proved by elimination and single, low dose challenge test in a child with Crohn disease. A 14-year-old boy with moderate/severe Crohn disease was admitted due to high fever and severe epigastric pain during administration of mesalazine and azathioprine. Blood test and abdominal ultrasonography revealed acute pancreatitis. After discontinuance of the medication and supportive care, the symptoms and laboratory findings improved. A single, low dose challenge test was done to confirm the relationship of the adverse drug reaction and acute pancreatitis, and to discriminate the responsible drug. Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine showed positive responses, and mesalazine showed a negative response. We introduce the method of single, low dose challenge test and its interpretation for drug-induced pancreatitis.

The Characteristics and Diagnostic Methods of Food Protein Induced Proctocolitis / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Food protein induced proctocolitis (FPIPC) is a non-IgE mediated food allergy. FPIPC occurs exclusively among breast-fed infants within the first months of life. FPIPC is often diagnosed clinically in normal-conditioned infants with rectal bleeding. But FPIPC among infancy with rectal bleeding is less general than conceived. The endoscopic findings reveal an edematous and erythematous mucosa with superficial erosions or ulcerations, bleeding and lymphoid nodular hyperplasia. The prominent eosinophilic infiltrates in the rectosigmoid mucosa are important for the histopathologic diagnosis of FPIPC. However, in explaining eosinophilic infiltration within the lamina propria of the mucosa, it is necessary to differentiate whether it is a part of normal findings or occurs due to inflammatory reactions. Oral food challenge and elimination test is performed to identify the same clinical reaction as the symptom of FPIPC by the administration of a specific type of food to infants. The most common causal food is cow's milk. Thus oral food challenge and elimination test can be the effective way of confirming FPIPC, reducing the possibility of misdiagnosis. The purpose of this report is to identify the characteristics of FPIPC, to introduce its diagnostic methods, and to suggest the future direction of research.

Clinical Perspectives of Food Allergy in Infants and Young Children / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Food allergies affect 7~8% of infants and young children, and their prevalence appears to have increased in recent years. Food allergy refers to an abnormal immunological reaction to a specific food. These reactions can be recurrent each time the food is ingested. Food allergy manifests itself with a wide spectrum of clinical characteristics including IgE-mediated diseases as immediate reactions, non-IgE-mediated disorders as delayed reactions, and mixed hypersensitivities. As a consequence, the clinical picture of a food allergy is pleomorphic. A well-designed oral food challenge is the most reliable diagnostic test for infants and young children whose clinical history and physical examination point towards a specific food allergy. Food specific IgE antibody tests (RAST, MAST, skin prick test, Uni-CAP, etc) are an alternative tool to determine oral food challenge for IgE-mediated disorders, but not for non-IgE-mediated allergies. Moreover, parents often impose their children on unnecessary diets without adequate medical supervision. These inappropriate dietary restrictions may cause nutritional deficiencies. This review aims to introduce clinical perspectives of food allergy in infants and young children and to orient clinicians towards different strains of diagnostic approaches, dietary management, and follow-up assessment of tolerance development.

What is the 'objective' differential factor of diarrhea in infancy?: Normal state versus diarrheal illness in infants with chronic frequent and loose stool / 소아과

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify 'objective' differential factors for normal frequent loose stool (NFLS) and diarrheal illness with dehydration and nutritional deficiency (DIDN) among infants with chronic frequent loose stool (CFLS). METHODS: Data were analyzed from infants under 2 years of age with CFLS who had been transferred from general pediatricians. These 46 patients were divided into 2 groups (NFLS versus DIDN). Nocturnal stool was defined as evacuation between 10 pm and 6 am. Maximal stool amount/day (measured using the mother's hand) was specified as the highest score during the period of CFLS obtained by adding up each evacuation's score (range, 0-2 points). RESULTS: There were 36 cases of NFLS and 10 of DIDN. A failure to gain weight (P=0.0001), fever (P=0.0079), colic/abdominal pain (P=0.0014), gross blood in stool (except allergic proctocolitis) (P=0.0113), nocturnal stool (P=0.0001), and the score of stool amount (P=0.0001) were found to significantly differentiate the groups. A failure to gain weight was observed in 39% of even NFLS. The frequency, mucus content, and microbiological findings of stools, as well as diaper dermatitis were not found to significantly differentiate the groups. CONCLUSION: NFLS was more common than DIDN in infants with CFLS. The most 'objective' differential factors were nocturnal stool and the score of stool amount (> or =7 points/day).

Apoptosis and upregulation of TNF-alpha and TRAIL receptor 1 (DR4) in the pathogenesis of food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome / 소아과

PURPOSE: Expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha expression on the mucosa of the small intestine is increased in patients with villous atrophy in food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES). TNF-alpha has been reported to induce apoptotic cell death in the epithelial cells. We studied the TNF family and TNF-receptor family apoptosis on the duodenal mucosa to investigate their roles in the pathogenesis of FPIES. METHODS: Fifteen infants diagnosed as having FPIES using standard oral challenge test and 5 controls were included. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining was performed to identify the apoptotic cell death bodies. Immunohistochemical staining of TNF-alpha, Fas ligand (FasL) for TNF family and TNF-related apoptosis-including ligand (TRAIL) receptor 1 (DR4), TRAIL receptor 2 (DR5), and Fas for TNF-receptor family were performed to determine the apoptotic mechanisms. RESULTS: TUNEL+ was significantly more highly expressed in the duodenal mucosa of FPIES patients than in controls (P=0.043). TNF-alpha (P=0.0001) and DR4 (P=0.003) were significantly more highly expressed in FPIES patients than in controls. Expression levels of FasL, Fas, and DR5 were low in both groups and were not significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FPIES pathogenesis is induced by apoptosis, and that TNF-alpha expression and DR4 pathway may have an important role in apoptosis.

Perianastomotic ulceration presenting with long-term iron deficiency anemia and growth failure: A case report and review of the literature / 소아과

Perianastomotic ulceration (PAU) rarely occurs after small bowel resection in infancy. Since the understanding of its pathogenesis is incomplete, an effective method of treatment has not yet been discovered. We report the first case in Korea of a 10-year-old girl with chronic iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and growth failure who was diagnosed with PAU at colonoscopy. Seven years were required to identify the cause of IDA. After surgical resection and revision of anastomosis, a close follow-up is being conducted due to the risk of recurrence. Here, we also review reports on 25 pediatric patients with PAU derived from a search of the English-language literature and describe the clinical features of PAU along with the results of treatment.

Pseudomembranous colitis in children: Experience of a university hospital in Korea / 소아과

PURPOSE: Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) occurs rarely in children, but its incidences are increasing due to frequent antibiotic use. We investigated the incidence and clinical characteristics of PMC accompanied by bacterial enteritis-like symptoms in children. METHODS: Between November 2003 and July 2007 at the Department of Pediatrics, Dongsan Medical Center, we analyzed the medical records of consecutive patients who received antibiotics in the past 1 month, developed bacterial enteritis-like symptoms, and were diagnosed with PMC based on sigmoidoscopy examination and histological findings. RESULTS: Among 22 patients who underwent sigmoidoscopy and biopsy examinations, 11 (50%) were diagnosed with PMC. These 11 patients were aged 2 months-12 years, among whom 5 patients (45.5%) were less than 1 year old. The clinical symptoms were bloody diarrhea (28.6%), abdominal pain or colic (28.6%), watery or mucoid diarrhea (23.8%), vomiting (9.5%), and fever (9.5%). The antibiotics used were penicillins (55.6%), macrolides (27.8%), cephalosporins (11.1%), and aminoglycosides (5.6%). The period of antibiotic use was 3-14 days. The interval between the initial antibiotic exposure and the onset of symptoms was 5-21 days. The results of stool examination of all patients were negative for Clostridium difficile toxin A. Patient distribution according to the degree of PMC was as follows: grade I, 18.2% (2 cases); grade II, 27.3% (3); grade III, 36.4% (4); and grade IV, 18.2% (2). PMC did not recur in any case. CONCLUSION: PMC is not a rare disease in children. If pediatric patients receiving antibiotics manifest symptoms like bacterial enteritis, PMC should be suspected. Endoscopy and biopsy should be applied as aggressive diagnostic approaches to detect this condition.

Tips to Write a Medical Paper More Effectively / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

This paper aims to give beginners an introductory course on how to write a medical paper more effectively. Bear in mind the reviewer and the reader will be reading your paper for the first time, so you should write it easily. Everything in your paper must be coherent. Use of the active voice is usually shorter and clearer. Organize your story carefully and logically, and then you can avoid unnecessary repetition in different sections. Think hard, because research is made by the mind, not by the hands. Write technically and powerfully. Above all, you have to meet the submission regulation of the target journal exactly.

Tips to Write a Medical Paper More Effectively / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

This paper aims to give beginners an introductory course on how to write a medical paper more effectively. Bear in mind the reviewer and the reader will be reading your paper for the first time, so you should write it easily. Everything in your paper must be coherent. Use of the active voice is usually shorter and clearer. Organize your story carefully and logically, and then you can avoid unnecessary repetition in different sections. Think hard, because research is made by the mind, not by the hands. Write technically and powerfully. Above all, you have to meet the submission regulation of the target journal exactly.

Practical Diagnostic Approaches to Chronic Abdominal Pain in Children and Adolescents

Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) in children and adolescents remains one of the pathogenetically ambiguous disorders and a great trouble to their caretakers as well as patients. Although the symptom does not usually lead to a crucial problem, the parents may be terribly worried, the child may be in distress, and the practitioner may be concerned about ordering tests to confirm a serious occult disease. Systemized diagnostic approaches are needed to overcome this unique difficulty. The presence of red flag symptoms or signs is a general indication to pursue diagnostic testing for organic etiologies of CAP on the basis of specific symptoms in an individual case. Functional abdominal pain can be normally diagnosed when there are no red flag symptoms or signs. According to the Rome III criteria for pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders, functional disorders of CAP can be classified into functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraine, and chronic functional abdominal pain syndrome. Cyclic vomiting syndrome and pathologic aerophagia are also major functional causes of CAP. Modern concepts of the pathogenesis of functional abdominal pain include brain-gut interaction, visceral hypersensitivity, autonomic dysfunction, and psychosocial factors. In addition, psychiatric disorders, presented with red flag symptoms or signs, may induce the CAP in children and adolescents. We introduce practical and systemized diagnostic approaches by illustrating clinical cases of CAP in children and adolescents.