Subtypes of irritable bowel syndrome in children

The prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in children is 1.2%-5.4%, and the subtypes in Latin American children has not been specified. The objective of this study is to characterize the different subtypes of IBS in children and their possible associations. A prevalence study was carried out in Colombian children between 8-18 years of age with IBS according to the Rome III Criteria. Sociodemographic, family and clinical variables were taken. The subtypes of IBS were considered depending on the consistency of stool in IBS with constipation (IBS-c); with diarrhea (IBS-d); mixed (IBS-m) and without subtype (IBS-u). The statistics included uni and bivariate analyzes. The data were analyzed using two-tailed student t-test, chi(2) test, Fisher's exact test and PR with 95%Cl, being p<0.05 significant. 196 children were included (53.6% female, median 11 years old); presenting IBS-u in 64.8%, IBS-c in 19.9%, IBS-m in 8.7% and IBS-d in 6.6%. There were only significant differences in stool characteristics (p=0.01), in the fecal incontinence (p=0.02) and the fecalomas (p=0.00). There were possible associations between children with IBS-d, city (p=0.00) and malnutrition (p=0.02). In conclusion, after the IBS-u, 1/4 of the schoolchildren and adolescents studied presented IBS-c, followed by IBS-m and IBS-d; presenting IBS-d with greater opportunity in malnourished children.