An overview of the clinical management of cyclic vomiting syndrome in childhood

Association of Anxiety and Gastrointestinal Comorbidities in Repeat Hospital Admissions in Pediatric Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder with recurrent episodes of intense nausea and vomiting and thus may require frequent hospitalizations. There is paucity of data exploring the association of psychiatric and gastrointestinal comorbidities in repeat hospitalizations among pediatric patients with CVS.

METHODS

We analyzed the Pediatric Health Information System database and included all patients up to 18 years of age with a diagnosis of CVS between 2016 and 2020. We excluded patients with chronic conditions, which mimic CVS. The primary outcome variable was 90-day admission rate, which was defined as a visit to emergency department or admission to observation/inpatient unit with a primary diagnosis of CVS within 90 days after an index CVS hospitalization.

RESULTS

We evaluated a total of 2,604 hospitalizations represented by 1,370 unique individuals. The overall 90-day admission rate was 28.5%, which steadily decreased from 35.7% in 2016 to 23% in 2019 ( P < 0.001). Patients in the repeat hospitalization cohort were slightly older and more often men. Patients with repeat admissions had an increased proportion of anxiety and other gastrointestinal disorders. Multivariable logistic regression showed that anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux disease, functional dyspepsia, and abdominal migraine were associated with increased odds of repeat admissions.

DISCUSSION

Ninety-day admission rates in pediatric CVS are decreasing overall, although still contributing to significant healthcare expenditure. Anxiety and gastrointestinal comorbidities were associated with increased risk of repeat admissions. Further prospective studies are needed to better understand the complex interactions of these comorbidities and their management affecting the natural course of CVS.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome and Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome: The State of the Science

This article provides a narrative review of the state of the science for both cyclic vomiting syndrome and cannabis hyperemesis syndrome along with a discussion of the relationship between these 2 conditions. The scope of this review includes the historical context of these conditions as well as the prevalence, diagnostic criteria, pathogenesis, and treatment strategies for both conditions. A synopsis of the endocannabinoid system provides a basis for the hypothesis that a lack of cannabidiol in modern high-potency Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol cannabis may be contributory to cannabis hyperemesis syndrome and possibly other cannabis use disorders. In concluding assessment, though the publications addressing both adult cyclic vomiting syndrome and cannabis hyperemesis syndrome are steadily increasing overall, the state of the science supporting the treatments, prognosis, etiology, and confounding factors (including cannabis use) is of moderate quality. Much of the literature portrays these conditions separately and as such sometimes fails to account for the confounding of adult cyclic vomiting syndrome with cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. The diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are, at present, based generally on case series publications and expert opinion, with a very limited number of randomized controlled trials and a complete absence of Level 1 evidence within the cyclic vomiting literature overall as well as for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome specifically.

Clinical features and long-term outcomes in pediatric cyclic vomiting syndrome: A 9-year experience at three tertiary academic centers

BACKGROUND

Pediatric cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a little-known clinical condition, frequently diagnosed with delay. This study aims to describe the clinical presentation and management and to define possible predictive factors of the disease outcome.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, all children who were diagnosed with CVS during the period 2010-2019 in three tertiary academic centers were included. The association between clinical variables and outcomes was investigated.

KEY RESULTS

Fifty-seven children were included (male/female ratio 1.3:1; mean age at diagnosis 8.2 years). At the time of diagnosis, 63% of children had at least one episode every month. One or more prodromes were reported by 75% of patients. Family history of migraine was reported for 47% of children. Nearly, all of the children were started on prophylactic treatment. The median follow-up period was 29 months ± 15. Overall, 56% of children had resolution of vomiting. Twenty-six percent of children developed migraine. There were no differences in gender, age at onset, duration of follow-up, severity, medication, family history, or trigger factors between children who underwent resolution of vomiting and those who did not, or between children who suffered from migraine or not at follow-up. Four types of disease outcome were recognized, that is, resolution of vomiting with or without associated symptoms; persistence of vomiting with or without associated symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES

Cyclic vomiting syndrome clinical presentation has inter-individual variability. Most children recover at follow-up, but often develop further somatic symptoms. In this study, no clinical variable clearly predicted the evolution of the syndrome toward one or the other outcome.

Association of Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphisms With Pediatric-Onset Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent stereotypic episodes of vomiting. The pathophysiology of CVS remains obscure. Previous studies have supported the hypotheses of mitochondrial dysfunction. However, data on association studies between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms and pediatric-onset CVS are limited and inconsistent. The aims of this study were to describe clinical characteristics, evaluate association of mtDNA polymorphisms 16519T and 3010A with pediatric-onset CVS and identify new mtDNA candidate variants.

METHODS

This study involved Thai patients diagnosed with CVS according to the Rome III or IV criteria before the age of 15 years. Patients' demographic data, clinical characteristics, previous investigations and treatment outcomes were obtained. Blood samples were collected for next-generation (whole exome) sequencing, followed by analysis of chromosome M (mitochondrial. Variants were filtered according to clinical significance using ClinVar and MITOMAP. mtDNA polymorphisms in 148 normal Thai individuals were used as controls.

RESULTS

Forty-eight children were enrolled in the clinical study, and 30 participated in the genetic analysis. The median age at onset and median age at diagnosis was 3.0 (1.5-5.6) and 6.3 (3.0-8.6) years, respectively. Maternal history of migraine was positive in 16.7%. About 45.7% (21 of 46) of the patients achieved complete clinical remission, with the mean symptom duration of 5.9 ± 3.3 years. The prevalence of mtDNA variants 16519T and 3010A among the patient group and Thai general population (control) were as follows: 40.0% (12/30) vs. 27.7% (P = 0.18) and 6.7% (2/30) vs. 0.7% (P = 0.07), respectively. Five known pathogenic variants were identified in 6 patients, including mtDNA 8528C in one patient who also had infantile hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Six likely pathogenic variants were found but without statistical significance. We identified 11 variants with significant prevalence in the patient group. Though, these variants were classified as variants of unknown significance (VUS), several of them were located in mt functional regions and therefore they deserve further investigations as new candidates for association with pediatric CVS.

CONCLUSION

There were no associations of mtDNA polymorphisms 16519T and 3010A with CVS in our pediatric cohort. Five pathogenic variants and 11 VUS were found associated with pediatric-onset CVS.

Children with cyclic vomiting syndrome: phenotypes, disease burden and mitochondrial DNA analysis

BACKGROUND

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is characterized by repeated, stereotypical vomiting episodes. It is possibly associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants. We examined the phenotype, disease burden, treatment and performed mtDNA analysis in pediatric CVS.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 42 children with CVS in a tertiary care center. Information regarding medical history, clinical features, laboratory tests, and treatment were collected. mtDNA sequencing was performed among 13 patients.

RESULTS

Mean age of onset among patients was 4.0±3.4 years, and mean age at diagnosis was 6.7±4.2 years. CVS episodes in onset and features were stereotypic. Recognizable prodromes were reported in 54.8% patients. Neuroimaging showed previously unknown intracranial abnormalities. Gastrointestinal infection was found in four patients. Mean duration of hospitalization was 7.0±2.4 days, and mean hospitalization cost was 10,891 RMB. Sequencing showed that 4/13 patients had C16519T mtDNA polymorphism, and 2/13 patients had G3010A mtDNA polymorphism.

CONCLUSIONS

Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a disabling disorder, which causes huge disease burdens to the patients and their families. Early clinical suspicion and prompt diagnosis are crucial. mtDNA polymorphisms were found in some patients, but they were not significantly associated with pediatric CVS.