title: FGIDs in children are associated with many nonpsychiatric comorbidities: the tip of an iceberg?
abstract: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common. The poor health-related quality of life in FGIDs is a combination of gastrointestinal symptoms and comorbid conditions. We determined by using the Ohio Dysautonomia questionnaire the medical comorbidities in 38 children with FGID. Almost all of the subjects had a comorbid disorder, with orthostatic symptoms in 89%, fainted >3×/lifetime in 17%, headaches with migrainous features in 40%, other types of chronic pain in 50%, and fatigue lasting >6 months in approximately 33%. These findings constitute a critical first step in changing the paradigm of our approach to FGID as a broader systemic disorder, not one limited to the gastrointestinal tract.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chelimsky
authors.forename: Shaista
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Safder
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chelimsky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires