Patient Education in Children With Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Patient Education in Children and Adolescents With Pain-predominant Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: a Pilot Study

This pilot-study aims to evaluate the effect size and feasibility of patient education for children and adolescents (age 8-17 years) with pain-predominant functional gastrointestinal disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, functional abdominal pain and functional dyspepsia according to the Rome III criteria).

The patient education will be provided in a group setting and the children will participate along with one of their parents. Education consists of 2-hour long group sessions, given at 2 different occasions within a month.

The hypothesis is that patient education will reduce gastrointestinal symptoms and pain and also improve quality of life in this group of patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children and adolescents between 8-17 years (until their 18th birthday) who have been diagnosed with any of the diagnoses irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia or functional abdominal pain according to the Rome III criteria.
• Blood samples, with normal outcome, in terms of complete blood count (CBC), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), Anti-tissue Transglutaminase Antibody (tTG), and dipstick urinalysis. Faecal Calprotectin should be measured if diarrhea is present.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Insufficient skills in the Swedish language.
• Severe psychiatric comorbidity (as suicidality, psychosis etc).
• Severe somatic comorbidity.