Diagnostic algorithm and peculiarities of monitoring for infants with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Introduction: The most common medical conditions in infants, which belong to pediatric and gastroenterological disease areas, are functional gastrointestinal disorders, food hypersensitivity and food allergy. First of all, these symptoms can disguise lactase deficiency, cow’s milk protein allergy, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, allergic proctocolitis, gastrointestinal manifestations of atopic dermatitis, functional disorders of gastrointestinal and biliary tract, etc. The aim of our study was to develop an algorithm of monitoring for infants with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and to study the efficacy of probiotic and enzyme replacement therapy. Materials and metods: 47 children aged 1 to 3 years with gastrointestinal and atopic dermatitis symptoms underwent clinical and laboratory examinations. Results: Analysis of additional examination revealed the causes of gastrointestinal disorders, and the following diagnoses were made: 15 children (32 %) had secondary lactase deficiency, 9 children (19 %) had sensitization to cow’s milk protein and caseins. Molecular-genetic analysis of С > Т polymorphism at position 13910 of lactase gene (LСT) demonstrated that C/C-13910 genotype was observed in 44.7 % of children, С/Т-13910 heterozygous genotype was found in 36.2 %, and 19.1 % of children had Т/Т-13910 genotype; these were interpreted in conjunction with other clinical criteria for verification of secondary lactase deficiency diagnosis. Conclusions: Assessment of children over time during their treatment showed that combined therapy using lactase preparation and probiotics contributed to relief of clinical symptoms. All patients had their fecal pH increased (> 5.5), whereas the majority of children demonstrated improvement yet on days 2–3 (i.e., decrease in pain syndrome, flatulency, and stool frequency; restoration of normal stool consistency). Based on the obtained data, we proposed a practical algorithm for verification and monitoring of children with gastrointestinal disorders.