ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2019 April;178(4):210-15

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.18.03776-2

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Pulmonary functions in children with inflammatory bowel diseases. Is there any difference when compared with adult patients?

Nafiye URGANCI ¹, Derya KALYONCU ² ✉, Aygun GUR ³, Kadir ERGEN ⁴, Gungor CAMSARI ³

¹ Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; ² Department of Pediatrics, Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; ³ Yedikule Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; ⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess the pulmonary functions in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and compare with adult IBD patients and healthy controls.
METHODS: A total of 31 children with IBD (mean age:12.9±2.6, range 7-18 years) were evaluated prospectively and compared with 19 adult patients with IBD (mean age: 41.2±3.2, range 18-67 years) and 22 healthy sex and age matched children (mean age:12.8±0.7) in terms of pulmonary function and pulmonary diseases by physical and radiological examinations and pulmonary function tests.
RESULTS: Forty-one per cent of the pediatric patients with IBD (22 ulcerative colitis, 9 Crohn) and 47% of the adult patients with IBD (11 Ulcerative colitis, 8 Crohn) had respiratory system symptoms such as cough, dyspnea and bronchial hyperreactivity. Positive early reversibility test was observed in 70.9% of the pediatric patients and 63% of the adult patients (P>0.05). 4 children had asthma and 5 had atopy.
CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference was obtained between children and adult patients with IBD and healthy children in terms of pulmonary functions. All the patients with IBD should be screened routinely for assessing the respiratory system involvement. Evaluation and follow-up of patients with IBD using pulmonary function tests are essential to detect early involvement of respiratory system.

KEY WORDS: Child - Crohn disease - Inflammatory bowel diseases - Colitis, ulcerative -Spirometry