TY - JOUR
T1 - Overall Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in Children With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders
T2 - Results From the First Pandemic Phase
AU - Strisciuglio, Caterina
AU - Martinelli, Massimo
AU - Lu, Peter
AU - Bar Lev, Michal Rozenfeld
AU - Beinvogl, Beate
AU - Benninga, Marc A.
AU - di Lorenzo, Carlo
AU - Fiori Nastro, Francesca
AU - Nurko, Samuel
AU - Pearlstein, Haley
AU - Rosen, Rachel
AU - Shamir, Raanan
AU - Staiano, Annamaria
N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2021 by European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess how the first phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic influenced symptoms in children with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) and to characterize their quality of life (QoL), anxiety and global health. METHODS: This was a multicenter, observational, international study conducted between April and July 2020 at six different referral centers. Children diagnosed with FAPDs between October 2019 and February 2020 were enrolled and prospectively interviewed at 4 months of follow-up during the first pandemic phase (Quarantine group). Patients were asked to complete PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scale and PROMIS Anxiety and Global Health questionnaires. A cohort of children diagnosed with FAPDs between October 2018 and February 2019 was used as a Control group. RESULTS: Three-hundred-fifty-six children were enrolled of whom 180 (mean age at diagnosis: 14 ± 2.8 years) in the Quarantine group and 176 (mean age at diagnosis: 13 ± 2.8 years) in the Control group. At 4 months of follow-up, we observed a significant reduction of children reporting >5 episodes of abdominal pain per month when compared to baseline, in both groups (Quarantine group: 63.9% vs 42.2%, P < 0.001; Control group: 83.5% vs 50%, P < 0.001). The Quarantine group had median QoL values of 84.8 with 16.6% of children showing high anxiety values and 55% having decreased global health score. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated symptoms' improvement at 4 months of follow-up in both cohorts. During the first months of the COVID-19 quarantine children with FAPDs showed satisfactory QoL and anxiety scores, suggesting positive effects of school closure and increased parental attention.
AB - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess how the first phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic influenced symptoms in children with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) and to characterize their quality of life (QoL), anxiety and global health. METHODS: This was a multicenter, observational, international study conducted between April and July 2020 at six different referral centers. Children diagnosed with FAPDs between October 2019 and February 2020 were enrolled and prospectively interviewed at 4 months of follow-up during the first pandemic phase (Quarantine group). Patients were asked to complete PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scale and PROMIS Anxiety and Global Health questionnaires. A cohort of children diagnosed with FAPDs between October 2018 and February 2019 was used as a Control group. RESULTS: Three-hundred-fifty-six children were enrolled of whom 180 (mean age at diagnosis: 14 ± 2.8 years) in the Quarantine group and 176 (mean age at diagnosis: 13 ± 2.8 years) in the Control group. At 4 months of follow-up, we observed a significant reduction of children reporting >5 episodes of abdominal pain per month when compared to baseline, in both groups (Quarantine group: 63.9% vs 42.2%, P < 0.001; Control group: 83.5% vs 50%, P < 0.001). The Quarantine group had median QoL values of 84.8 with 16.6% of children showing high anxiety values and 55% having decreased global health score. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated symptoms' improvement at 4 months of follow-up in both cohorts. During the first months of the COVID-19 quarantine children with FAPDs showed satisfactory QoL and anxiety scores, suggesting positive effects of school closure and increased parental attention.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85122111640&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34417400
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122111640&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000003286
DO - https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000003286
M3 - Article
C2 - 34417400
SN - 0277-2116
VL - 73
SP - 689
EP - 694
JO - Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
JF - Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
IS - 6
ER -