Heartburn in children and adolescents in the presence of functional dyspepsia and/or irritable bowel syndrome correlates with the presence of sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression

This study assesses the relationship of heartburn in pediatric patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep disturbances and psychologic distress.

Researchers include Children’s Mercy gastroenterologists and child psychologists, Jennifer Colombo, MD, Amanda Deacy, PhD, Jennifer Schurman, PhD, and Craig Friesen, MD.

In their evaluation of 260 pediatric patients with abdominal pain (8 to 17 years old), they compared questionnaire data through statistical analysis and found that patients with a positive report of heartburn, whether classified as having FD and/or IBS, had increased gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression than patients with a negative report of heartburn.

Findings suggest that clinics should routinely assess for heartburn in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders associated with abdominal pain (as defined by Rome IV criteria). Understanding these associations may help providers determine personalized treatment for youth with abdominal pain and heartburn as a primary symptom.

Read the publication.