Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children

Functional gastrointestinal disorders are a complex of clinical entities characterized by disorder in function at the level of the gastrointestinal tract or in the central processing of information originating in the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology is multifactorial. Alterations of gut motility, visceral hypersensitivity, neural function, intestinal inflammation without anatomical lesion, and the gut-brain axis are implicated in the disease. Recently, an additional etiological factor was investigated. An abnormal intestinal microbiota in children might influence intestinal barrier function, activate innate intestinal immune response, dysregulate the enteric nervous system, and alter visceral sensitivity and intestinal motility. The possibility to target probiotics as a new therapeutic approach in this condition is also discussed. Copyright (c) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel