A narrative review on the diagnosis and management of constipation in infants.

INTRODUCTION: Functional constipation is one of the common disorders of gut-brain interaction in infancy, and decreases the quality of life of infants and parents. AREAS COVERED: Relevant articles up to November 2022 were reviewed. We searched in PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE for guidelines, position papers, reviews, and randomized controlled trials on infant constipation. EXPERT OPINION: Randomized controlled trials in this specific age group are mostly limited to trials with infant formula. The prevalence of infant constipation in formula-fed infants is decreasing, and can be associated with adaptations in formula composition. While the supplementation of infant formula with pro-, pre- and/or synbiotics decreases the prevalence of constipation, their efficacy in constipated infants is disappointing. There is limited evidence to support the addition of magnesium to infant formula to treat constipation. The evidence for the efficacy and safety of polyethylene glycol in children < 2 years has expanded over the past years. The administration of lactulose or polyethylene glycol is the preferred medical management, in case nutritional management does result in insufficient improvement.

Intra-rater Variability of the Brussels Infants and Toddlers Stool Scale (BITSS) Using Photographed Stools.

OBJECTIVES: The Brussels Infants and Toddlers Stool Scale (BITSS) was developed for the assessment of stool consistency in non-toilet-trained children. This study aimed to (1) investigate the intra-rater reliability of the BITSS among health care professionals (HCPs) and caregivers (CGs); (2) study a potential learning curve; (3) explore the impact of photo quality on intra-rater reliability. METHODS: Photos of diapers containing stool were assessed twice by 4 HCP (2432 photos) and 8 CGs (492 photos) using the BITTS. Intra-rater reliability was calculated by the percentage of exact agreement and a κ-value. A learning effect and the impact of photo quality was explored using mixed linear model and generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: HCPs generated 24,320 stool consistency ratings: 12.1% were scored as watery, 31.0% loose, 29.4% formed, and 27.6% hard. CGs performed 7872 ratings: 9.2% classified as watery, 34.6% loose, 28.9% formed, and 27.3% hard. Intra-rater reliability (κ) for HCPs ranged from 0.64 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.61-0.66] to 0.78 (95% CI = 0.76-0.80) and from 0.68 (95% CI = 0.63-0.73) to 0.94 (95% CI = 0.91-0.97) in the CG group. Both groups had <1% improvement in the odds of identical classification per 50 photos. The percentage of absolute agreement was higher in photos rated as good quality than those that were not (HCPs: 80.3% vs 69.5%, P < 0.001; CGs: 90.4% vs 86.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The BITSS has an excellent intra-rater reliability for the stool consistency scoring of photographs of stools in diapers, but can be influenced by photo quality. A clinically meaningless learning effect was found.

How to manage irritable bowel syndrome in children.

AIM: This paper discusses the risk factors and management of paediatric irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with a focus on the role of the gastrointestinal microbiome. METHODS: English articles of interest published in PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using subject heading and keywords of interest. RESULTS: Only few randomised controlled trials on the management of IBS in children have been published. The vast majority of these intervention trials target to change the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome. Most studies are underpowered. Major heterogeneities in study designs such as differences in inclusion criteria, including patients with different pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders and differences in primary outcomes, make it impossible to formulate recommendations. Overall, few adverse events are reported what could indicate safety or point to suboptimal conduction of clinical trials and safety reporting. However, it can also not be excluded that some interventions such as the administration of selected probiotic products may result in benefit. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient evidence to recommend any therapeutic intervention in paediatric IBS, including manipulation of the gastrointestinal tract microbiome, despite the evidence that dysbiosis seems an associated pathophysiologic factor. More designed prospective trials are needed since IBS is not a rare condition during childhood.

Hydrogen and Methane Breath Test in the Diagnosis of Lactose Intolerance.

The hydrogen (H2) breath test is a non-invasive investigation used to diagnose lactose intolerance (LI). Patients with LI may also expire increased amounts of methane (CH4) during a lactose test. The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of CH4 measurements. We tested 209 children (1-17 years old) with symptoms suggesting LI with lactose H2 and CH4 breath tests. The result was positive when the H2 excretion exceeded 20 parts per million (ppm) and the CH4 was 10 ppm above the baseline. A clinician, blinded for the results of the breath test, registered the symptoms. Of the patient population, 101/209 (48%) were negative for both H2 and CH4; 96/209 (46%) had a positive H2 breath test result; 31/96 (32%) were also positive for CH4; 12/209 (6%) patients were only positive for CH4. The majority of hydrogen producers showed symptoms, whereas this was only the case in half of the H2-negative CH4 producers. Almost all patients treated with a lactose-poor diet reported significant symptom improvement. These results indicate that CH4 measurements may possibly be of additional value for the diagnosis of LI, since 5.7% of patients were negative for H2 and positive for CH4, and half of them experienced symptoms during the test.

Probiotics in the Prevention and Treatment of Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality that occurs mainly in premature born infants. The pathophysiologic mechanisms indicate that gastrointestinal dysbiosis is a major risk factor. We searched for relevant articles published in PubMed and Google Scholar in the English language up to October 2020. Articles were extracted using subject headings and keywords of interest to the topic. Interesting references in included articles were also considered. Network meta-analysis suggests the preventive efficacy of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp., but even more for mixtures of Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, and Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus spp. However, studies comparing face-to-face different strains are lacking. Moreover, differences in inclusion criteria, dosage strains, and primary outcomes in most trials are major obstacles to providing evidence-based conclusions. Although adverse effects have not been reported in clinical trials, case series of adverse outcomes, mainly septicemia, have been published. Consequently, systematic administration of probiotic bacteria to prevent NEC is still debated in literature. The risk-benefit ratio depends on the incidence of NEC in a neonatal intensive care unit, and evidence has shown that preventive measures excluding probiotic administration can result in a decrease in NEC.

Eating Habits of Children Born after Maternal Bariatric Surgery.

Mothers who underwent bariatric surgery (BS) before pregnancy have worrisome eating habits, but little is known about the eating habits of their offspring. EFFECTOR is a cross-sectional, long-term follow-up study of 4-11-year-old children born from mothers that underwent bariatric surgery before pregnancy (n = 36), mothers with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) in a control group (n = 71), and mothers with a normal weight (NW) in a second control group (n = 35). Data on anthropometry and on eating habits obtained through a Food Frequency Questionnaire were collected prospectively. The children's body mass index (BMI) scores significantly correlated with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was the highest in children of the BS group (38.9% vs. 15.5% for children of the OW/OB group and 5.7% for those of the NW group; p = 0.004). Meal-skipping behavior was comparable between the groups. There was no difference in fruit and vegetable consumption. The BS group consumed more low-calorie sweetened beverages compared to the NW group (p = 0.01) but less fruit juice compared to the NW and OW/OB groups (p = 0.01). Our results may indicate a sugar-avoiding behavior in children of the BS group, fitting dietary maternal habits in a strategy to prevent dumping syndrome. In conclusion, maternal pre-pregnancy bariatric surgery does not alter unhealthy eating behaviors and the risk of development of overweight during childhood in their children.

The Brussels Infant and Toddler Stool Scale: A Study on Interobserver Reliability.

OBJECTIVES: The Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) is inadequate for non-toilet trained children. The Brussels Infant and Toddler Stool Scale (BITSS) was developed, consisting of 7 photographs of diapers containing stools of infants and toddlers. We aimed to evaluate interobserver reliability of stool consistency assessment among parents, nurses, and medical doctors (MDs) using the BITSS. METHODS: In this multicenter cross-sectional study (2016-2017), BITSS photographs were rated according to the BSFS. The reliability of the BITSS was evaluated using the overall proportion of perfect agreement and the linearly weighted κ statistic. RESULTS: A total of 2462 observers participated: 1181 parents (48.0%), 624 nurses (25.3%), and 657 MDs (26.7%). The best-performing BITSS photographs corresponded with BSFS type 7 (87.5%) and type 4 (87.6%), followed by the BITSS photographs representing BSFS type 6 (75.0%), BSFS type 5 (68.0%), BSFS type 1 (64.8%), and BSFS type 3 (64.6%). The weakest performing BITSS photograph corresponded with BSFS type 2 (49.7%). The overall weighted κ-value was 0.72 (95% CI 0.59-0.85; good agreement). Based on these results, photographs were categorized per stool group as hard (BSFS type 1-3), formed (BSFS type 4), loose (BSFS types 5 and 6), or watery (BSFS type 7) stools. According to this new categorization system, correct allocation for each photograph ranged from 83 to 96% (average: 90%). The overall proportion of correct allocations was 72.8%. CONCLUSIONS: BITSS showed good agreement with BSFS. Using the newly categorized BITSS photographs, the BITSS is reliable for the assessment of stools of non-toilet trained children in clinical practice and research. A multilanguage translated version of the BITSS can be downloaded at https://bitss-stoolscale.com/.