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Title: Study Finds No Link Between Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders, GI Disorders
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22D8BA.htm
Doctor's Guide
September 25, 2008

BETHESDA, Md -- September 25, 2008 -- Gastrointestinal (GI) problems are not more common in children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) compared with normal developing children, according to a study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Some studies have suggested a link between PDDs and GI problems such as reflux, stomach pain, bloating, food intolerance, constipation, or diarrhoea. But epidemiological studies have found no higher prevalence of GI problems among children with PDD compared to normally developing children.

Roumen Nikolov, MD, and Lawrence Scahill, PhD, of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues evaluated baseline data from the 172 children enrolled in the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network to examine the types and frequency of GI problems among the participants.

The RUPP network conducted 2 major trials. In the first trial, children with autism accompanied by tantrums, aggression, and self-injury were treated with risperidone (Risperdal). In the second trial, children with PDD and hyperactivity were treated with methylphenidate.

Overall, 22.7% of the 172 children had GI problems. In the risperidone study, 29% had a history of GI problems compared with 14% in the methylphenidate study.

The researchers found no demographic differences between the children with GI problems and those without GI problems, nor did the groups differ in communication, socialisation, daily living skills, intellectual ability, or on measures of autism severity. However, the group with GI problems had more severe anxiety, irritability, and social withdrawal.

In the risperidone trial, just over half of the children with GI problems showed a positive response to treatment compared with 75% of those with no history of GI problems. There was no difference in the rate of positive response in the methylphenidate trial.

Dr. Nikolov and colleagues concluded that the findings of this study do not support the idea that GI problems are more common in children with PDD or associated with specific characteristics of PDD. More research is needed to determine how GI problems may be related to PDD.

SOURCE: National Institute of Mental Health

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