Allergy‐related diseases and recurrent abdominal pain during childhood – a birth cohort study. Issue 11 (1st October 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Olén, O.; Neuman, Å.; Koopmann, B.; Ludvigsson, J. F.; Ballardini, N.; Westman, M.; Melén, E.; Kull, I.; Simrén, M.; Bergström, A.
• Is Part Of: Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics. Volume 40:Issue 11/12(2014)
• Page Start: 1349
• Page End: 1358
• Publication Date: 2014-10-01
• Subjects: Digestive organs -- Diseases -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Digestive organs -- Effect of drugs on -- Periodicals; Gastrointestinal system -- Diseases -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Gastrointestinal system -- Effect of drugs on -- Periodicals; 615.73
• DOI: 10.1111/apt.12965
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-2813

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="apt12965-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <sec id="apt12965-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>Allergy and immune dysregulation may have a role in the pathophysiology of recurrent abdominal pain of functional origin, but previous studies of allergy‐related diseases and abdominal pain have contradictory results.</p> </sec> <sec id="apt12965-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Aim</title> <p>To examine the association between allergy‐related diseases or sensitisation during childhood and abdominal pain at age 12 years.</p> </sec> <sec id="apt12965-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>In this birth cohort study of 4089 children, parents answered questionnaires regarding asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema and food hypersensitivity ('allergy‐related diseases') at ages 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 years. Blood for analyses of allergen‐specific IgE was sampled at 4 and 8 years. At 12 years, the children answered questions regarding abdominal pain. Children with coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease were excluded. Associations were examined using multivariable logistic regression.</p> </sec> <sec id="apt12965-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Among 2610 children with complete follow‐up, 9% (<italic>n</italic> = 237) reported abdominal pain at 12 years. All allergy‐related diseases were associated with concurrent abdominal pain at 12 years and the risk increased with increasing number of allergy‐related diseases (<italic>P</italic> for trend <0.001). Asthma at 1 and 2 years and food hypersensitivity at 8 years were significantly associated with abdominal pain at 12 years. There was an increased risk of abdominal pain at 12 years in children sensitised to food allergens at 4 or 8 years, but in stratified analyses, this was confined to children whose parents had <italic>not</italic> reported food hypersensitivity at time of sensitisation.</p> </sec> <sec id="apt12965-sec-0005" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Allergy‐related diseases as well as sensitisation to food allergens were associated with an elevated risk of abdominal pain, and the risk increased with the number of allergy‐related diseases.</p> </sec> </abstract>