A new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics assessed the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in children from 0 to 18 years of age, according to the newly established Rome IV diagnostic criteria, as reported by parents in a representative community sample.

This cross-sectional study enrolled 1255 mothers of children aged between 0-18 years to complete an online survey.

The results revealed that according to the Rome IV criteria, 24.7% of infants and toddlers aged 0-3 years and 25.0% of children and adolescents aged 4-18 years fulfilled symptom-based criteria for a functional GI disorder. The most common functional GI disorders noted were infant regurgitation among 24.1% of the infants and functional constipation among 18.5% toddlers and 14.1% children and adolescents. Additionally, quality of life (QoL) was lower in pediatric patients with functional GI disorders. Furthermore, children were more likely to qualify for a functional GI disorder if their parent qualified for a functional GI disorder.

Thus, it was inferred that functional GI disorders are common in pediatric populations of all ages and are associated with decreased QoL.