Chronic constipation combined with biliary tract dysfunction in children: comorbidity or clinical regularity?

• Main Authors: I. N. Zakharova, I. V. Berezhnaya, S. V. Shishkina
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Remedium Group LLC 2019-11-01
• Series: Медицинский совет
• Subjects: gastrointestinal tract; children; functional gastrointestinal disorders; roman iv criteria; chophytol®; α-tocopherol; lipid peroxidation; malondialdehyde; constipation
• Online Access: https://www.med-sovet.pro/jour/article/view/4695
• ISSN: 2079-701X; 2658-5790

Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are a common problem in children. The Roman IV criteria adopted in 2016, devoted to the problem of constipation and biliary tract dysfunction in children are developed in accordance with age and are idendoitified by the letter code. This article presents data on the correspondence of the Roman IV criteria and ICD-10 in the combined problem of constipation and biliary tract dysfunction in children. The development of upper gastrointestinal tract pathology caused by increased intracavitary pressure associated with impaired colon motility (chronic constipation) is natural during a prolonged course of chronic constipation. The study based on a specially designed questionnaire in Russia showed that an average of 54% of children in different age groups suffer from chronic constipation, that is, almost every second child. Studies showed that the frequency of biliary tract dysfunction in children with chronic constipation accounts for 42.3 to 100% cases. The survey that we conducted among pediatricians showed that a quarter of doctors found it difficult to establish diagnosis, and 41% of pediatricians struggled with prescribing therapy for persistent constipation in children, especially constipation combined with motor-tonic dysfunction of the colon in children with biliary tract dysfunction. A total of 201 children aged 6 to 15 years (96 boys and 114 girls) were enrolled in the study. In addition to pain syndrome, cellular energy exchange disorder in the form of decreased level of intracellular antioxidant catalase enzyme and plasma antioxidant activity (PAO) was identified against the background of chronic constipation and biliary tract dysfunction in this group of children, which is evidence of decompensation of antioxidant protection in the acute stage of biliary tract dysfunctional disorders in children. The identified changes make a strong case for prescribing a drug with hepatoprotective, choleretic and antioxidant effects. The use of herbal extract of fresh artichoke leaves (Chophytol®, Mayoly Spindle, France) showed the relief of pain syndrome by Day 14 of treatment in 92% of patients (75% in the comparison group), nausea in 74% of children, constipation in 88% (50% of patients in the comparison group). It is important to detect an elevated α-tocopherol level and significantly reduced catalase level, which indicates the need to choose a drug with selective antioxidant activity, which does not change the α-tocopherol level. The introduction of the herbal extract of fresh artichoke leaves (Chophytol®) in the complex therapy of the studied patients accelerated the relief of the clinical symptoms of functional biliary tract disorders and reduced the frequency of constipation in children by 4 times as compared with the control group without significant effect on the α-tocopherol level.