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Prevalence of functional defecation disorders in European children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Michelle N. Bloem Orcid Logo, Desiree F. Baaleman Orcid Logo, Nikhil Thapar Orcid Logo, Stephen Roberts Orcid Logo, Ilan J. N. Koppen Orcid Logo, Marc A. Benninga Orcid Logo

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Pages: 1 - 18

Swansea University Author: Stephen Roberts Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/jpn3.12437

Abstract

Objectives: Functional defecation disorders (FDDs) are common among children worldwide. The prevalence of these disorders has not been clearly described in Europe. This study performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis on the prevalence of FDD in European children and assessed geographical, age,...

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Published in: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
ISSN: 0277-2116 1536-4801
Published: Wiley 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68685
Abstract: Objectives: Functional defecation disorders (FDDs) are common among children worldwide. The prevalence of these disorders has not been clearly described in Europe. This study performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis on the prevalence of FDD in European children and assessed geographical, age, and sex distribution and associated factors. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Psycinfo, Cochrane Library, and Cinahl were searched from 1999 to July 2023. Included studies were (1) prospective or cross‐sectional studies of European population‐based samples; (2) reporting the prevalence of infant dyschezia (ID) according to Rome II, III, or IV criteria or functional constipation (FC) or functional non‐retentive fecal incontinence (FNRFI) according to Rome III or IV criteria; (3) aged 0–18 years; and (4) published in English, Dutch or Spanish. PRISMA guidelines for extracting data and assessing data quality were followed. Results: Twenty‐eight studies were included. Pooled prevalence was 6.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.1%–11.9%) for ID in infants 0–12 months (9 studies, n = 5611), 8.17% (95% CI: 6.33%–10.22%) for FC in children <4 years (25 studies, n = 35,189), 11.39% (95% CI: 9.34%–14.11%) for FC in children 4–18 years, and 0.24% (95% CI: 0.07%–0.49%) for FNRFI in children 4–18 years (7 studies, n = 16,873). No sex predominance was found for FC. FC prevalence did not differ significantly when diagnosed according to Rome III versus IV. FC prevalence differed between countries, with greatest rates in Italy, Germany, and Spain. No meta‐analysis could be performed on other factors associated with FDD. Conclusions: FDD is common in European children. Future longitudinal studies are needed to provide better insight into associated factors in pathogenesis.
Keywords: Child, constipation, dyschezia, Europe, incontinence
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Funders: None
Start Page: 1
End Page: 18