A prospective, controlled multisite trial of yoga in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

AIM

To investigate whether a structured yoga program improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and self-efficacy in pediatric patients receiving care for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS

IBD patients who were 10-17 years old participated in a 12 week, in-person yoga intervention at two clinical sites. Outcomes were measured at time of consent (T0), start of yoga (T1), and completion of yoga (T2) and 3 months after yoga completion (T3) using the IMPACT-III, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), and General Self Efficacy (GSE) scales.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight patients were enrolled. Fifty-six patients completed nine or more classes. 73.2% had Crohn's disease and 26.8% ulcerative colitis or IBD-unclassified. A significant increase in IMPACT-III was seen from T1 to T3 (mean change of 5.22, SD = 14.33, p = 0.010), in the PedsQL (mean change = 2.3, SD = 10.24, p = 0.050), and GSE (mean change = 1, SD = 3.60, p = 0.046). 85.2% of patients reported yoga helped them to control stress. Long-term data was available for 47 subjects with 31.9% (n = 15) continuing to practice yoga one to 3 years after study completion.

CONCLUSION

This structured 12-week yoga program showed significant improvements in HRQOL and general self-efficacy, particularly 3 months after classes were concluded suggesting that yoga's benefits may persist. Yoga is a safe and effective adjunct to standard medical care to improve QOL and self-efficacy in youth with IBD.

Test of the child/adolescent Rome III criteria: agreement with physician diagnosis and daily symptoms

BACKGROUND

Establishment of the Rome criteria advanced diagnosis of children with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. The criteria were overhauled in 2006, but these revisions were never systematically tested. The aim of the current study was to assess psychometric properties of the childhood Rome III criteria and determine how well they agree with physician diagnoses and daily symptoms.

METHODS

A total of N = 135 families from two pediatric gastroenterology clinics completed the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms (QPGS- RIII). Half of the families completed the QPGS-RIII again in 2 weeks, the other half completed 2-week daily diaries. Children above the age of 10 also provided data (N = 64). Physician diagnoses were obtained from the medical records.

KEY RESULTS

Diagnoses: The most common diagnoses per child/parent report were Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS; 43-47%) and Abdominal Migraine (26-36%). The most frequent physician diagnoses were Functional Constipation (FC; 53%) and Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP; 29%). Reliability: Moderate to substantial agreement was found between baseline and 2-week follow-up for most diagnoses (kappa = .19-.78) and between parent and child reports (kappa = -.04-.64).

VALIDITY

There was low agreement between QPGS-RIII and physician diagnosis (kappa =-.02-.34) as well as diaries (kappa = .06-30).

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

The Rome criteria have reasonable test-retest reliability and seem to be inclusive, as the majority of children obtain a diagnosis. However, validity is still an issue: The Rome criteria do not overlap well with physician diagnosis or daily symptoms. These issues will need to be addressed in future revisions of the Rome criteria.

PEG3350 in the treatment of childhood constipation: a multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To establish the efficacy and best starting dose of polyethylene glycol (PEG)3350 in the short-term treatment of children with functional constipation.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective, randomized, multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of PEG3350 in children with functional constipation. Patients were randomly assigned to either placebo or 0.2 g/kg per day, 0.4 g/kg per day, or 0.8 g/kg per day of PEG3350 after a 1 week run-in period, followed by 2 weeks of treatment. All received behavior modification. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a successful treatment response: >or=3 bowel movements (BM) in the second week.

RESULTS

103 children (mean, 8.5 +/- 3.1 years) were enrolled. 77%, 74%, and 73% of the 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g/kg groups were successfully treated, as compared with 42% receiving placebo (P < .04). There was a significant increase in BM (P < .001) and straining improvement (P < .05) with the different PEG3350 doses. Stool consistency improved significantly for doses 0.4 g/kg or higher (P < .001). There was more abdominal pain and fecal incontinence in patients receiving 0.8 g/kg. PEG3350 was well tolerated.

CONCLUSIONS

This placebo-controlled study confirms the efficacy and safety of PEG3350 for the short-term treatment of children with functional constipation. We recommend a starting dose of 0.4 g/kg per day.