Paediatric gastroenterology Flashcards
Coeliacs in children : Definition
Sensitivity to gluten - repeated exposure leads to villous atrophy which in turn causes malabsorption
Coeliacs in children : Age of presentation
Before 3 years old - following introduction of cereals into diet
Coeliacs in children : Clinical features
- Failure to thrive - low BMI, height
- Abdominal pain and distention
- Diarrhea
Coeliacs in children : Diagnosis
- Biopsy of the jejunum : subtotal villous atrophy
- Bloods : Anti-endomysial and anti-gliadin antibodies
Constipation in children : average BO for children
< 6 months : average 3 times a day
+3 years : Once a day
Constipation in children : Life style causes
- Habitually not opening the bowels
- Low fibre diet
- Poor fluid intake and dehydration
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Psychosocial problems such as a difficult home or school environment
Constipation in children : Secondary causes
Diet : Low fibre diet and dehydration, Cow’s milk intolerance
Anal stenosis : Anal fissure, IBD
Hirschsprung’s disease
Hypothyroidism
Constipation in children : Most common cause
Idiopathic - majority of children, cause is unknown
Constipation : Diagnosis in children
2 or more symptoms of the following:
-
Stool pattern
1. Less than 3 stools a week
- Hard large stool which is difficult to pass
- ‘Rabbit dropping stool’
- Overflow soiling - Faecal impaction causing overflow soiling, with incontinence of particularly loose smelly stools
-
Symptoms associated with defecation
1. Pain
1. Straining and painful passages of stools
1. Abdominal pain and poor appetite which improved with passage of stool
1. Rectal bleeding associated with hard stool -
Signs
1. Holding an abnormal posture, referred to as retentive posturing
1. Hard stools may be palpable in abdomen
1. Loss of the sensation of the need to open the bowels
Constipation : Diagnosis of Idiopathic Constipation
- Step 1 : Diagnosis of Constipation
- Step 2 : Rule of secondary causes of constipation by considering the following symptoms
- > 48 hours for meconium passage
- ‘Ribbon’ stool : indicates anal stenosis - may be secondary to anal fissure/ IBD
- Failure to thrive - low weight, height
- Neurological weakness/development delay
- Step 3 : If ruled out - can diagnose idiopathic constipation
Constipation : Faecal incontinence
Considered pathological > 4 years
1. Sign of chronic constipation
2. Rectum becomes stretched chronically and looses sensation
3. Hard stool remains and only loose stool are able to bypass the blockage - leaking out without sensation
4. ‘Overflow soiling’
Constipation : Faecal impaction
- Habit of not opening bowels and ignoring sensation of full rectum
- Lose sensation to open bowels - reduced frequency of bowel opening
- Retention of faeces .
- Faecal impaction : large, hard stool block the rectum
Symptoms are : severe constipation, overflow soiling, faecal mass in abdomen
Constipation : Management of faecal impaction
First line : Polyethylene glycol + Movicol } both osmotic laxatives
If no disimpaction in 2 weeks
Second line : Add stimulant laxative (Senna)
Constipation : Maintainance therapy
- First line : Movicol
If no response - Second line : Add stimulant laxative (Senna)
Appendicitis : Incidence in children
- Occurs in children > 4 years
- If < 4 years : Presents with perforation
Hirschsprung’s disease : Definition
congenital condition characterised by partial or complete colonic functional obstruction associated with the absence of ganglion cells
Hirschsprung’s disease : Pathophsyiology
- Development failure results in lack of parasympathetic plexus innervation of a segment of the bowel
- Aganglionic segment of the bowel results in uncoordinated peristalsis of the bowel
- Functional obstruction
Hirschsprung’s disease : Risk factors
- 3x more common in males
- Down’s syndrome
Hirschsprung’s disease : Incidence
new-born period to 1 year of age
Hirschsprung’s disease : Clinical features
Neonatal period
-Delay of > 48 hr or failure to mass meconium
Older children
-Constipation and abdominal distention
-Vomitting
-Failure to thrive
Hirschsprung’s disease : Investigations
- Rectal biopsy : Gold standard for diagnosis
- Abdominal X-ray
Hirschsprung’s disease : Management
- Initial management
- Rectal washout/ Bowel irrigation : poor peristalsis means stool/flatus is not completely cleared - Definitive management
- Surgery to affected segment of the colon
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Definition
- Immune-mediated allergic response to proteins in the milk
- It is one of the most common childhood food allergies
- Allergy : Immediate IgE mediated
- Intolerance : Delayed, non IgE mediated
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Incidence
< 3 month old infants - formula fed infants,
Very rare in breast fed infants
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Risk factors
Formula fed infants
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Clinical features
- After feeds ;
* Regurgitation and Vomiting
* Diarrhoea
2 . Atopy symptoms `; Urticaria, Ectopic eczema, wheeze
3 . Colic symptoms : Irritability, crying
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Diagnosis
- Clinical diagnosis : Improvement with cow’s milk protein elimination
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Investigations
- Skin prick/patch testing
- Total IgE and specific IgE (RAST) for cow’s milk protein
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Management
Formula fed
1. First line
* Mild-moderate sx : Extensive hydrolysed formula milk
- Second line
* Severe sx or no response to eHF : Amino acid-based formula
Breast fed
1. Eliminate cow’s milk from maternal diet
Cow’s milk protein allergy/intolerance : Prognosis
Resolves on its own in most children
* IgE mediated - 55% will be milk tolerant by 5 years old
* Non-IgE - Most will be milk tolerant by age 3
Paediatric GORD : definition
Pathological regurgitation of oesophageal contents - regurgitation is not physiological and is associated with other symptoms
Paediatric GORD : Incidence
< 8 week infants