Recurrent abdominal pain: A potential precursor of irritable bowel syndrome in adolescents and young adults☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
Patients With RAP
Case subjects were patients referred to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic for evaluation of abdominal pain. Patients with chronic illness, physical disability, or mental retardation were excluded. Psychosocial characteristics of these patients at the initial evaluation have been reported elsewhere.16 The present analyses focus on patients for whom the medical evaluation yielded no identifiable medical explanation for pain and who reported pain of more
Demographic Characteristics
The sample consisted of 76 former patients with RAP and 49 control subjects, representing 84% of patients with RAP and 94% of well subjects who had been interviewed 5 years earlier. Of the 76 RAP patients, 51 (67%) were female. Patients with RAP ranged in age from 11 to 23 years at follow-up, with a mean of 15.7 years (SD = 3.2 years). Of the 49 control subjects, 23 (47%) were female. Control subjects ranged in age from 12 to 22 years, with a mean of 16.2 years (SD = 3.0) at follow-up. The
Discussion
The literature on adults shows that although IBS symptoms are common in the general population, considerable individual variability exists in the relation of symptoms to disability and physician visits.28 Prior investigations indicate that psychosocial distress is predictive of clinic visits for IBS symptoms.10, 14 The present study suggests that a childhood history of RAP is another important predictor of clinic visits and disability related to IBS symptoms. Specifically, among former RAP
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From the Divisions of Adolescent Medicine and of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
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Supported by a grant (HD23264) from the national Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
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Reprint requests: Lynn S. Walker, PhD, Division of Adolescent Medicine, 436 Medical Center South, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-3571.
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