Author Archives: gutsandgrowth

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About gutsandgrowth

I am a pediatric gastroenterologist at GI Care for Kids (previously called CCDHC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The goal of my blog is to share some of my reading in my field more broadly. In addition, I wanted to provide my voice to a wide range of topics that often have inaccurate or incomplete information. Before starting this blog in 2011, I would tear out articles from journals and/or keep notes in a palm pilot. This blog helps provide an updated source of information that is easy to access and search, along with links to useful multimedia sources. I was born and raised in Chattanooga. After graduating from the University of Virginia, I attended Baylor College of Medicine. I completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Cincinnati at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center. I received funding from the National Institutes of Health for molecular biology research of the gastrointestinal tract. During my fellowship, I had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing pediatric gastroenterologists and mentors. Some of these individuals included Mitchell Cohen, William Balistreri, James Heubi, Jorge Bezerra, Colin Rudolph, John Bucuvalas, and Michael Farrell. I am grateful for their teaching and their friendship. During my training with their help, I received a nationwide award for the best research by a GI fellow. I have authored numerous publications/presentations including original research, case reports, review articles, and textbook chapters on various pediatric gastrointestinal problems. In addition, I have been recognized by Atlanta Magazine as a "Top Doctor" in my field multiple times. Currently, I am the vice chair of the section of nutrition for the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, I am an adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Other society memberships have included the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), American Academy of Pediatrics, the Food Allergy Network, the American Gastroenterology Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. As part of a national pediatric GI organization called NASPGHAN (and its affiliated website GIKids), I have helped develop educational materials on a wide-range of gastrointestinal and liver diseases which are used across the country. Also, I have been an invited speaker for national campaigns to improve the evaluation and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, celiac disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, hepatitis C, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Some information on these topics has been posted at my work website, www.gicareforkids.com, which has links to multiple other useful resources. I am fortunate to work at GI Care For Kids. Our group has 17 terrific physicians with a wide range of subspecialization, including liver diseases, feeding disorders, eosinophilic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, DiGeorge/22q, celiac disease, and motility disorders. Many of our physicians are recognized nationally for their achievements. Our group of physicians have worked closely together for many years. None of the physicians in our group have ever left to join other groups. I have also worked with the same nurse (Bernadette) since I moved to Atlanta in 1997. For many families, more practical matters about our office include the following: – 14 office/satellite locations – physicians who speak Spanish – cutting edge research – on-site nutritionists – on-site psychology support for abdominal pain and feeding disorders – participation in ImproveCareNow to better the outcomes for children with inflammatory bowel disease – office endoscopy suite (lower costs and easier scheduling) – office infusion center (lower costs and easier for families) – easy access to nursing advice (each physician has at least one nurse) I am married and have two sons (both adults). I like to read, walk/hike, bike, swim, and play tennis with my free time. I do not have any financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies or other financial relationships to disclose. I have helped enroll patients in industry-sponsored research studies.

Anemia in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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A recent retrospective study (G Aljomah et al. JPGN 2018; 67: 351-5) provides some useful information about anemia in the pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population. This study included 153 patients, though the diagnostic tests varied considerably; for example, only 42 patients had a serum transferrin receptor (sTR) assay available at followup.

Key points:

  • 67.3% of patients had anemia at diagnosis.  38.5% had anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and the remainder had either iron deficiency anemia (IDA) or IDA in combination with ACD.
  • 20.5% had anemia at followup approximately 1 year after diagnosis. 5.1% with ACD alone and 15.4% had IDA or IDA in combination with ACD.
  • In a subset of patients with more complete data, it was shown that anemia was much more common in patients with Crohn’s disease: 91.2% at diagnosis and 27.3% at followup compared with patients with ulcerative colitis with 40.0% at diagnosis and 7.7% at followup.

The authors used the sTR index (sTR/log ferritin index) to determine if ACD was present.  “This index can differentiate IDA from ACD; however, it cannot separate IDA from the combination of IDA/ACD.  IDA or IDA/ACD were considered to be present if the sTR index was greater than 1.03. An sTR index of <1.03 was taken to be indicative of the presence of ACD.”

Briefly noted: MR Serpico et al. JPGN 2018; 67: 341-5.  This retrospective study  examined the use of allopurinol to optimize thiopurine levels.  32 of 52 patients remained on the combination for 1 year.  In this group, median alanine transaminase decreased to 19 from 77 (P<0.001) and median 6-TG levels increased to 322 from 166 (P<0.001). In addition, steroid-free remission rates improved to 82% (23 of 28).  About 40% of the initial cohort of 52 patients were switched to antitumor necrosis factor therapy.

My take: The initial study shows that anemia is frequent in pediatric IBD, especially at diagnosis (67%).  Even at followup, 20% of patients had ongoing anemia.

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Does PPI Use Increase Pneumonias in Otherwise Healthy Infants?

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A recent study (M-L Blank, et al. JPGN 2018; 67: 335-40) showed that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) do not appear to increase the risk of pneumonia in otherwise healthy infants.

This study used a cohort of 21,991 patients (2005-2012) in New Zealand and examined the use of a PPI (omeprazole, lansoprazole, or pantoprazole) and its association with lower respiratory tract infections (566 validated cases) and 65 cases of radiography-confirmed community acquired pneumonia (CAP).  For each LRTI and each CAP, there were 10 matched controls.

Key findings:

  • Neither current nor recent use of a PPI was associated with an increased risk of CAP or LRTI resulting in hospitalization or death.
  • The matched odds ratio for CAP with current or past use of PPI was 0.88 and for all LRTI cases the matched odds ratio was 1.13.

My take: This study indicates that PPIs are unlikely to contribute to respiratory infections in otherwise healthy infants.  The larger question is how many of these infants really should be receiving PPIs and what other adverse consequences that may occur.

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Does Gastrostomy Tube Prolong Life in Rett Syndrome?

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A recent study (K Wong et al. J Pediatr 2018; 200: 188-95) examined a longitudinal cohort of 323 females in the Australian Rett Syndrome Study.

Key findings:

  • 30.3% of the cohort underwent gastrostomy placement
  • BMI was greater in individuals with gastrostomy placement
  • Median age of gastrostomy placement was 9 years
  • The all-cause mortality rate was greater in those who had gastrostomy placement compared with those who had not (hazard ratio 4.07, CI 1.96-8.45)
  • Survival: 66.1% of the entire cohort was alive at 20 years of age (median survival was 33 years). The survival was 87.3% in those without a gastrostomy.
  • Placement of a gastrostomy tube was not associated with fewer hospitalizations or improvement in parental physical or mental health

While the mortality was higher in those who received a gastrostomy tube, the study’s nonrandomized design does not allow definitive assessment of whether a gastrostomy tube is detrimental to long-term survival.  Children who received gastrostomy tube may have had additional comorbidities.

My take: In adult medicine, it is generally accepted that Gtube placement does not prolong life (Clin Gastro & Hep 2007; 5: 1372).  This study indicates that a Gtube may not improve longevity in many pediatric disorders as well.

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Clinical Evaluation Not Sensitive for Aspiration

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A recent retrospective study (in press): abstract link: Presenting Signs and Symptoms do not Predict Aspiration Risk in Children DR Duncan et al. J Pediatr 2018;  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.05.030

From Boston Children’s Hospital Notes (9/12/18):

  • More than 80 percent of aspiration was silent
  • Rosen, Duncan and colleagues also found that observed feedings, even by very skilled clinicians, are not sensitive enough to diagnose aspiration in children because of the high rates of silent aspiration. Based on statistical analyses, the degree of agreement between observed feeding and the VFSS was poor for the diagnosis of aspiration.
  • Almost a third of the patients experienced symptoms during or after meals, which may help explain why physicians frequently misdiagnose oropharyngeal dysphagia with aspiration as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Full abstract:

Objectives

To determine if any presenting symptoms are associated with aspiration risk, and to evaluate the reliability of clinical feeding evaluation (CFE) in diagnosing aspiration compared with videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS).

Study design

We retrospectively reviewed records of children under 2 years of age who had evaluation for oropharyngeal dysphagia by CFE and VFSS at Boston Children’s Hospital and compared presenting symptoms, symptom timing, and CFE and VFSS results. We investigated the relationship between symptom presence and aspiration using the Fisher exact test and stepwise logistic regression with adjustment for comorbidities. CFE and VFSS results were compared using the McNemar test. Intervals from CFE to VFSS were compared using the Student ttest.

Results

A total of 412 subjects with mean (±SD) age 8.9 ± 6.9 months were evaluated. No symptom, including timing relative to meals, predicted aspiration on VFSS. This lack of association between symptoms and VFSS results persisted even in the adjusted multivariate model. The sensitivity of CFE for predicting aspiration by VFSS was 44%. Patients with a reassuring CFE waited 28.2 ± 8.5 days longer for confirmatory VFSS compared with those with a concerning CFE (P < .05).

Conclusions

Presenting symptoms are varied in patients with aspiration and cannot be relied upon to determine which patients have aspiration on VFSS. The CFE does not have the sensitivity to consistently diagnose aspiration so a VFSS should be performed in persistently symptomatic patients.

My take: This study provides more data indicating that clinical evaluations are not reliable in children less than 2 years of age to exclude formal swallow study evaluations and that some symptoms attributed to reflux are in fact due to aspiration.

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Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: How important is the BMI of the stool donor?

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Currently fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) “best practices” exclude obese stool donors based on a report of germ-free mice gaining weight after FMT from mice with obesity and based on a case report of an individual with 34 pound weight gain after FMT.

A recent report (M Fischer et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018; 16: 1351-3) suggests that the the BMI of the stool donor does not affect recipient weight after a single FMT procedure for C difficile infection.

This analysis included 173 patients with a mean age of 57 years.  One group of 103 were from a randomized control trial; in this group, 66 (64%) received FMT from a normal weight (BMI 18-24.9) donor and 37 (36%) received FMT from an overweight (BMI 25-29.9) donor. Among an additional 70 individuals from an observational cohort, 25 received FMT from normal weight donor, 30 received FMT from overweight donor, and 15 received FMT from an obese donor.

Key finding:

  • There was no significant difference in BMI among the FMT recipients up to 48 weeks after a single FMT.  Based on data from Figure 1, patients who received FMT from normal weight donor had slightly higher mean weight gain at 48 weeks afterwards (not statistically-significant)

The authors caution that a prospective study is required to confirm these findings and in the interim, they recommend exclusion of obese/overweight FMT donors.

My take: There are plenty of willing stool donors –so who knows if this will ever be examined adequately.  This study challenges the idea that FMT from an obese donor will result in recipient obesity, presumably via changes in the microbiome.

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Exclusive Enteral Nutrition for Crohn’s Disease -Less Effective in Those with Isolated Colonic Disease

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A recent study (Y Xu. Clinical Nutrition 2018; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.08.022) showed that exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is less effective in patient’s with Crohn’s disease with isolated colonic disease.

Abstract Link: Isolated Colonic Crohn’s Disease is Associated with a Reduced Response to Exclusive Enteral Nutrition Compared to Ileal or Ileocolonic Disease

This was a retrospective study of 241 adults: 52 patients in the cCD (isolated colonic disease) group and 189 patients in the non-cCD group.

Key findings:

  • “The rates of clinical remission differed between the two groups (cCD group: 51.9% versus non-cCD group: 68.3%, P = 0.029). Multivariate analyses indicated that isolated colonic involvement was associated with a reduced response to EEN (OR = 2.74; [CI] 95% = [1.2 –6.23], P = 0.016).”
  • “Further analysis showed that even in patients who achieved clinical remission after EEN, inflammatory serum markers declined more slowly in the cCD group than in the non-cCD group, and the time to remission was longer in the cCD group.”

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This Makes Me Mad…Immigration Policy

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When our government takes actions on behalf of our country, this reflects on all of our values.  So, earlier this year I was disgusted and angry when I learned that as part of a ‘zero tolerance’ rule, young children were separated from their parents and placed in something akin to cages.  For me, this is a stain on our country’s history that could be compared to other atrocities like the Tuskegee experiments and Japanese internment during WWII.  While this policy was more short-lived, there are still children separated from their parents and for the children involved the consequences could be life-long.  Sadly, our entire country is responsible because we elected this administration which adopted these policies.

Now, this administration which seems incapable of any shame, is planning more steps that should make decent persons upset. Additional threats to lawful immigrants are being devised (KM Perreira et al. NEJM 2018; 379: 901-3).

“Under current guidelines, persons labeled as potential public charges can be denied legal entry to the United States” and in some cases deported.  Public-charge guidelines aim to keep immigrants from relying on public charges (eg. cash-assistance programs like welfare) for the first 5 years after admission to the U.S.

“The Trump administration is proposing sweeping changes to these [public-charge] guidelines.”  One of these proposed expansions of public-charge determination is including enrollment for Obamacare, which is legally mandated and which can include subsidies.  Another target is the Children’s Health Insurance Program.  As a consequence of these guideline changes, instead of ~3% of lawful immigrants being considered as receiving a public charge, if adopted, this would increase to a range from 32% to 47%.

If these policies are adopted, this is likely to have a lot of adverse health consequences.  Immigrants, including U.S.-born children, will be less likely to receive health care and more likely to be food insecure; 25% of U.S.-born children of immigrants currently receive SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) benefits. Health consequences will affect millions and include an increase in low birth infants, increased infant mortality, and increased maternal morbidity.

For health care providers and institutions, implementation of these policies is likely to result in higher costs from uncompensated care.

In related commentaries (BL Grace et al. NEJM 2018; 379: 904-5, M Martin. NEJM 2018; 379: 906-7), the authors note the following points:

  • “Current immigration policies are undermining trust in U.S institutions…and changing the way immigrants and refugees seek health care.”  Many are worried that seeking health care could lead directly or indirectly (after providing information) to deportation
  • “Even naturalized citizens fear that their status is no longer secure.”
  • “I feel sad that my colleague’s 6-year-old patient has nightmares and urinary incontinence because she is terrified her parents will be deported.  Sad that my patients fear coming to the hospital despite grave illness out of panic that someone will ask about their immigration status.”

My take: We are all accomplices (many unwitting) in the roll out of these detrimental policies that are now affecting lawful immigrants..

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