Epidemiology of aerophagia in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Aerophagia is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder among children. The disease leads to symptoms related to air in the intestine leading to burping, abdominal distension, and excessive flatus. We aimed to perform a systematic review and a meta-analysis to assess the epidemiology of aerophagia in children. Methods We conducted a thorough electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science) search for all epidemiological surveys conducted in children on aerophagia. All selected studies were assessed for their scientific quality and the extracted data were pooled to create a pooled prevalence of aerophagia. Results The initial search identified 76 titles. After screening and in depth reviewing, 19 studies representing data from 21 countries with 40129 children and adolescents were included in the meta-analysis. All studies have used standard Rome definitions to diagnose aerophagia. The pooled prevalence of aerophagia was 3.66% (95% Confidence interval 2.44–5.12). There was significant heterogeneity between studies [I2 98.06% with 95% Confidence interval 97.70–98.37). There was no gender difference in prevalence of aerophagia in children. The pooled prevalence of aerophagia was highest in Asia (5.13%) compared to other geographical regions. Conclusion In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we found aerophagia has a significant prevalence across the world.

Incidence and characterization of aerophagia in dogs using videofluoroscopic swallow studies

“…incidence of aerophagia in affected dogs in our study compared with humans also may be explained by evaluating a population for which there was a medical indication for VFSS and by combining both age groups (adults and juveniles). 1,4,20 In our study, dogs with aerophagia were more likely to have pathologic P-A scores (ie, scores ≥3) and evidence of macroaspiration (ie, scores ≥5). Although neither of these were independent predictors of aerophagia, in people a positive association has been made between gastric gas accumulation and ventilator-associated pneumonia 8 and between aspiration pneumonia and obstruction of the upper airway.…”

“…Aerophagia in people is considered a functional nausea and vomiting disorder 2 that has substantial worldwide prevalence and associations with stress and cognitive impairment 3,4 . A metanalysis showed the pooled prevalence of aerophagia in children to be 3.66% (95% CI, 2.44‐5.12) 1 . In adults, prevalence has been reported as high as 25% 20 .…”

“…3,4 A metanalysis showed the pooled prevalence of aerophagia in children to be 3.66% (95% CI, 2.44-5.12). 1 In adults, prevalence has been reported as high as 25%. 20 The incidence of aerophagia in our study was 40%, including both adult and juvenile dogs.…”

“…[1][2][3][4] In the majority of people, aerophagia results in relatively benign clinical signs (CS) including eructation and excessive flatulence, with more severe cases being associated with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. 1,2,4 Rarely, aerophagia has been implicated in more serious conditions including colonic volvulus, 5 intestinal perforation, 6 and pneumoperitoneum. 7 Additionally, in people, aerophagia is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) 8,9 and aspiration, 8 which are known contributors to multiple clinically relevant respiratory diseases.…”

Persistent Nausea and Gastrointestinal Distention: A Case Report of Aerophagia

“…Although aerophagia frequently occurs in pediatric populations [ 4 , 5 ], it remains relatively underdiagnosed in adults [ 6 ]. A survey by Drossman et al indicated that although 23% of respondents met the criteria for aerophagia, only 13% sought medical consultation [ 6 ].…”