FEATURES OF CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME IN CHILDREN WHO HAVE UNDERGONE COVID-19

Abstract

The purpose. To evaluate the features of clinical manifestations of irritable bowel syndrome in adolescents who have undergone COVID-19. Materials and methods. 58 adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome were examined. 28 patients with irritable bowel syndrome developed against the background of a COVID-19 were included in the basic group. 30 children with irritable bowel syndrome not associated with COVID-19 were included in the comparison group. The Questionnaire “7×7”, developed by the Russian Gastroenterological Association, was used to assess the presence and severity of the main clinical symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorder. The simple descriptive scale of pain intensity was used to assess the severity of abdominal pain syndrome. Results. The children with moderate and severe severity of the disorder were prevailed in basic group (50.0±9.4% and 35.7±9.1% patients respectively). The patients with mild and moderate severity of the disorder were prevailed in comparison group (60.0±8.9% and 33.3±8.6% respectively). It was revealed that the largest proportion of patients in the basic group (p<0.001) were patients with severe abdominal pain syndrome (64.3±9.1%). In turn, the proportion of patients with moderate abdominal pain was significantly higher in the comparison group (53.3±9.1%, p<0.05). Conclusion. For adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome who have suffered COVID-19, more severe clinical symptoms of the disease with severe abdominal pain are characteristic in comparison with patients with irritable bowel syndrome not associated with COVID-19. At the same time, in most cases, patients whose manifestation of the disorder was associated with COVID-19 are characterized by the formation of an overlap syndrome - a combination of irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia.