Prevalence and Characteristics of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Pediatric Neurogastroenterology Patients.
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| Abstract | :  Recent reports document avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms among 13-40% of adults presenting to neurogastroenterology clinics, but ARFID in pediatrics is understudied. We conducted a retrospective review of charts from 129 consecutive referrals (ages 6-18 years; 57% female) for pediatric neurogastroenterology examination, from January 2016 through December 2018. Eleven cases (8%) met the full criteria for ARFID by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition and 19 cases (15%) had clinically significant avoidant/ restrictive eating behaviors with insufficient information for a definitive ARFID diagnosis. Of patients with ARFID symptoms (n = 30), 20 (67%) cited fear of gastrointestinal symptoms as motivation for their avoidant/ restrictive eating. Compared to patients without ARFID symptoms, patients with ARFID symptoms were older (P < .001), more likely to be female (51% vs 79%, P = 0.014), and more frequently presented with eating/weight-related complaints (15% vs 33%, P = 0.026). This pilot retrospective study showed ARFID symptoms present in 23% of pediatric neurogastroenterology patients; further research is needed to understand risk and maintenance factors of ARFID in the neurogastroenterology setting. | 
| Year of Publication | :  2022 | 
| Journal | :  Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition | 
| Volume | :  74 | 
| Issue | :  5 | 
| Number of Pages | :  588-592 | 
| Date Published | :  2022 | 
| ISSN Number | :  0277-2116 | 
| URL | :  https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000003369 | 
| DOI | :  10.1097/MPG.0000000000003369 | 
| Short Title | :  J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr | 
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