Efficacy of interventions for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, functional abdominal pain-not otherwise specified, and abdominal migraine in children: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Many treatments for abdominal pain-related disorders of gut-brain interaction (AP-DGBI) in children have been studied. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of all known treatment options for paediatric AP-DGBI.
METHODS
For this systematic review and network meta-analysis, we searched Embase, MEDLINE, and CENTRAL databases from inception to Jan 16, 2025, for published randomised controlled trials. We included trials of any treatment for AP-DGBIs (irritable bowel syndrome, functional abdominal pain-not otherwise specified, and abdominal migraine, excluding functional dyspepsia) in children aged 4-18 years. We excluded randomised controlled trials that solely included children with functional dyspepsia, but we included studies in which children with functional dyspepsia were included alongside children with the other AP-DGBI diagnoses and outcome data could not be separated. Data extraction and quality appraisal were performed in duplicate. The primary outcome for this network meta-analysis was author-defined treatment success. Network meta-analysis methodology was used within a frequentist framework using multivariate meta-analysis and outcomes were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology. Clinical relevance of effect sizes was interpreted according to consensus definitions.
FINDINGS
Of 19 337 records identified through the database search, 155 records representing 91 original randomised controlled…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 7,226 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.