Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item Navigating through 65 years of insights: lessons learned on functional abdominal pain in children(Springer Verlag, 2024) Rajindrajith, S.; Boey, C.C.M.; Devanarayana, N.M.; Niriella, M.A.; Thapar, N.; Benninga, M.A.In 1958, Apley and Naish authored a groundbreaking paper in Archives of Disease in Childhood, elucidating the epidemiology and risk factors of recurrent abdominal pain in children-a subject that had confounded clinicians of their time. Surprisingly, even after 65 years, there are several unanswered questions regarding the etiology, pathophysiology, and management of pediatric abdominal pain. Contrary to the prevailing notion that children naturally outgrow functional abdominal pain, compelling evidence suggests it's possible these children develop a number of clinically significant psychological issues that could profoundly impact their quality of life and, consequently, future health and educational outcomes. In this light, we aimed to comprehensively review the current literature to update the knowledge of practicing clinicians on functional abdominal pain, summarizing the evidence from the last 65 years.Conclusion: The enduring unanswered questions surrounding childhood abdominal pain continue to challenge clinicians, resulting in unnecessary investigations, thereby contributing to substantial healthcare expenditures. It is also evident that children with long-standing symptoms would progress to adulthood with the potential to develop irritable bowel syndrome and many psychological disturbances. Several key interventions using pharmacological agents, such as amitriptyline, showed that some of these drugs are no more effective than the placebo in clinical trials. Several research during the recent past suggest that psychological interventions such as gut-directed hypnotherapy alleviate symptoms and ensure better prognosis in the long run. Therefore, clinicians and researchers must join hands to explore the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning functional abdominal pain and novel therapeutic strategies to ensure the well-being of these children. What is Known: • Functional abdominal pain disorders are common among children, with a worldwide prevalence of 13.5% of children suffering from at least one of these disorders • These disorders contribute to a significant reduction in the quality of life of affected children and their families and lead to an array of psychological problems What is New: • The biological basis of functional abdominal pain is becoming more explicit, including complex interactions between altered microbiome, deranged motility, and psychological dysfunction with gut-brain interactions • Novel approaches giving minimal emphasis on pharmacological interventions and exploring psychological interventions are showing promising results.Item Imaging in pediatric disorders of the gut-brain interactions: current best practice and future directions(Taylor and Francis Group, 2023) Rajindrajith, S.; Hathagoda, W.; Ganewatte, E.; Devanarayana, N.M.; Thapar, N.; Benninga, M.INTRODUCTION: Disorders of Gut-Brain Interactions (DGBI) are a common clinical problem in children and pose significant challenges to the attending pediatrician. Radiological investigations are commonly ordered to evaluate these children. AREA COVERED: This review focuses on the current best practice of using radiological investigations in DGBIs and how novel radiological investigations could revolutionize the assessment and therapeutic approach of DGBI in children. EXPERT OPINION: We believe imaging in DGBI is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize how we diagnose and treat children with DGBI. As the understanding of the gut-brain axis continues to grow, we can expect to see the disappearance of conventional imaging techniques and the emergence of more sophisticated imaging techniques with less radiation exposure in the future which provide more clinically meaningful information regarding the gut-brain axis and its influence on intestinal function. Some of the novel imaging modalities will be able to broaden our horizon of understanding DGBI in children providing more useful therapeutic options to minimize their suffering.Item Defecation disorders in children: Constipation and fecal incontinence(Springer International, 2021) Baaleman, D.F.; Rajindrajith, S.; Devanarayana, N.M.; Lorenzo, C.D.; Benninga, M.A.Defecation disorders denote a state of altered defecation dynamics leading to an array of clinical presentations. With the currently available epidemiological studies, it is evident that these disorders have become widely spread global health problems. Due to the broadening of the understanding of escalating healthcare costs and poor quality of life, these disorders demand attention of clinicians and researchers, more than at any other time in history. However, it is regrettable that only little guidance is available for healthcare professionals to manage these disorders. Most of the therapeutic trials and investigation plans are archaic from the viewpoint of a twenty-first-century clinician and are not evidence based. However, new research ventures are being carried out, and the horizon of the knowledge base is expanding, perhaps indicating a brighter future. In this chapter, we discuss emerging concepts of definitions, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical evaluation, and management of defecation disorders in children and adolescents.Item Functional diarrhea in children(All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, 2024) Rajindrajith, S.; Hathagoda, W.; Devanarayana, N.M.Functional diarrhea in children is a disease that has been focused on by both general pediatricians as well as pediatric gastroenterologists across the world. Although it is seen across the pediatric age group from late infancy to adolescence, most still believe that functional diarrhea only occurs in younger children. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that functional diarrhea is prevalent in all subcontinents. The classic clinical features include chronic loose stools with undigested food particles without growth faltering. Although known for long years, pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic options are not well explored, and the existing literature is outdated. In this article, authors review the available literature on functional diarrhea, with a reminder that a fresh look is needed to broaden the horizons of understanding of this disease.Item Research in pediatrics(Samudra Medical Publications, 2022) Mettananda, S.; Rajindrajith, S.No abstract availableItem Rheumatology(Samudra Medical Publications, 2022) Rajindrajith, S.; Mettananda, S.No abstract availableItem Item Pediatric emergencies(Samudra Medical Publications, 2022) Perera, P.; Rajindrajith, S.No abstract availableItem Myths and misconceptions about childhood constipation(Springer-Verlag., 2023) Rajindrajith, S.; Devanarayana, N.M.; Thapar, N.; Benninga, M.A.Many widely held beliefs and assumptions concerning childhood constipation continue to interfere with rational management of childhood constipation. Although many still believe that constipation is not a common disease, about 9.5% of the world's children suffer from chronic constipation. Most of these children live in non-Western countries. There are major misconceptions about the etiology of constipation as a significant proportion of clinicians still believe that constipation is caused by some form an organic pathology, whereas in reality, the majority have functional constipation. Contrary to a commonly held belief that children outgrow constipation without long-term problems, there is evidence that constipation leads to significant bowel and psychological consequences and has a major impact on the quality of life which detrimentally affects future health and education. Finally, ineffective management strategies such as increasing fiber and water in the diet, and short duration of treatment owing to the fear that long-term laxative treatment leads to colonic dysfunction, interfere with effective therapeutic strategies. Conclusions: It is apparent that myths and misconception often lead to wrong assumptions regarding the distribution of the disease, its etiology, pathophysiology, and management leading to ordering incorrect investigations and ineffective therapeutic strategies while spending large sums of public funds unnecessarily. Poorly treated constipation leads to deleterious psychological consequences predisposing children to develop significant psychological damage and bowel dysfunctions. This review aims to challenge these myths about various elements of constipation by exploring the existing literature and encouraging clinicians to have a fresh look at old concepts that could interfere with the well-being of children with constipation. What is Known: • Childhood constipation is a growing problem in the world leading to significant suffering and high healthcare expenditure • Myths and misconceptions lead to poor management strategies causing psychological and bowel damage What is New: • Organic, systemic, and bowel disorders leading to constipation are uncommon, and in the majority, it arises due to deliberate fecal withholding and most investigations ordered by clinicians are not very helpful in the management • Most non-pharmacological interventions are not effective in the day-to-day management of childhood constipation. The use of laxatives is considered to be the first-line management strategy.Item Concise textbook of pediatrics(Samudra Medical Publications, 2022) Rajindrajith, S.; Mettananda, S.; Abeyagunawardena, A.No abstract available