Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the psychopathology and medical traumatic stress in children with intestinal failure (IF) and identify associated risk factors.Methods: Two... Show moreObjectives: The objective of this study is to assess the psychopathology and medical traumatic stress in children with intestinal failure (IF) and identify associated risk factors.Methods: Two-center study, performed from September 2019 until April 2022 (partly during COVID-19 pandemic), including children (1.5-17 years) with IF, dependent on parenteral nutrition (PN) or weaned off PN, treated by a multidisciplinary IF-team. Psychopathology in children was evaluated with a semi-structured interview assessing psychiatric classifications and validated questionnaires assessing emotional (internalizing) and behavioral (externalizing) problems. Medical traumatic stress was assessed with a validated questionnaire. Problem scores were compared with normative data. Associations between clinical characteristics and outcomes were analyzed with linear regression analyses.Results: Forty-one (of 111 eligible) children were included [median age 8.9 years (interquartile range, IQR 5.5-11.8), 54% female, 73% born preterm]. Median PN-duration was 17.3 months (IQR 6.9-54.0); 17 children (41%) were still PN-dependent. One third of the children met criteria for at least 1 psychiatric classification (compared with 14% in age-matched general population). Anxiety disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were most common. In school-aged children (n = 29, 6-17 years), significantly increased emotional problems were consistently reported by children (P = 0.011), parents (P < 0.001), and teachers (P = 0.004). In preschool children (n = 12, 1.5-5 years), no significant differences with normative data were found. Subclinical or clinical emotional problems were reported in 19 children (46%). Medical traumatic stress was present in 14%, and 22% of children had received psychological help for trauma before. Lower gastrointestinal related quality of life was associated with more emotional problems, but not PN-duration.Conclusions: Children with IF, particularly school-aged children, are at risk for psychological problems which is reflected by the high rate of received psychotherapy and the high rate of emotional problems and psychiatric classifications. Show less
Vlug, L.E.; Delhanty, P.J.D.; Neelis, E.G.; Huisman, M.; Visser, J.A.; Rings, E.H.H.M.; ... ; Koning, B.A.E. de 2022
BackgroundChildren with intestinal failure (IF) require parenteral nutrition (PN). Transition to oral and enteral nutrition (EN) can be difficult also due to abnormal gastrointestinal motility. The... Show moreBackgroundChildren with intestinal failure (IF) require parenteral nutrition (PN). Transition to oral and enteral nutrition (EN) can be difficult also due to abnormal gastrointestinal motility. The gut hormone ghrelin is increased in states of negative energy balance, functioning to preserve euglycemia, and also has appetite stimulating and prokinetic properties. We aimed to evaluate and compare ghrelin levels in children with IF, and to assess the relationship with PN-dependency. MethodsIn this exploratory prospective multicenter study, plasma acylated (AG) and unacylated (UAG) ghrelin levels were measured in children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and with functional IF (pseudo-obstruction or any enteropathy) and compared with healthy control subjects. Spearman's rho (r(s)) was used to assess correlations of AG and UAG with PN-dependency (%PN) and parenteral glucose intake. ResultsSixty-four samples from 36 IF-patients were analyzed. Median baseline AG and UAG levels were respectively 279.2 and 101.0 pg/mL in children with SBS (n = 16), 126.4 and 84.5 pg/mL in children with functional IF (n = 20) and 82.4 and 157.3 pg/mL in healthy children (n = 39). AG levels were higher in children with SBS and functional IF than in healthy children (p = 0.002 and p = 0.023, respectively). In SBS, AG positively correlated with %PN (r(s) = 0.5, p = 0.005) and parenteral glucose intake (r(s) = 0.6, p = 0.003). These correlations were not observed in functional IF. ConclusionChildren with IF had raised AG levels which could be related to starvation of the gut. The positive correlation between AG and glucose infusion rate in SBS suggests an altered glucoregulatory function. Show less
