Acute gastroenteritis is a risk factor for the development of disorders of gut-brain interaction in children 2025 Arrizabalo et al

Abstract

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is the most common disease predisposing to the development of Disorders of Gut-Brain Interactions (DGBI) in adults (post-infection DGBI: PI-DGBI). There is paucity of data on incidence and risk factors for the development of PI-DGBI in children.

Aim 1) assess whether AGE predisposes children to the development of PI-DGBI. 2) assess whether the severity of AGE is associated with the development of PI-DGBI.

Methods: A prospective, controlled, cohort study. Children with recent AGE (cases) and siblings (controls) were followed for 6 months. We assessed DGBIs using a validated questionnaire (QPGS IV) per Rome criteria. Forty-nine cases and 55 controls were enrolled; 4 cases (8.1%) and 1 control (1.8%) had a previous diagnosis of DGBI.

At 3-months, 10 cases (20.4%) were diagnosed with DGBI vs. 1 (1.8%) control (p = 0.00). Among children without a history of DGBI prior to the AGE, 6 (12.2%) cases vs. 0 control were diagnosed with DGBI (p = 0.01) at follow-up. At 6 months, 5 cases (1 lost to follow-up) vs. 0 control had persistent DGBI (p= 0.03). Severity of AGE was correlated with PI-DGBI (ρ = 0.707, p = 0.00).

Conclusion: children with AGE are more likely to develop DGBIs compared to controls. AGE symptom severity is associated with PI-DGBI.

Paywall

 

Putting aside what a weird concept DGBI is, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen p-values = 0.00. Surely they can’t ever be zero?

p < 0.01 is probably the correct way to write them.

 

I thin the study just shows how useless these Rome criteria are. I looked them up recently and they include anything you like - as long as you assume it is "DGBI" before you start!

p=0.00 is incompatible with quantum field theory so I think they must have got that wrong!