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      Efficacy and Complications of Polyethylene Glycols for Treatment of Constipation in Children : A Meta-Analysis

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      Author(s): , MD, , MD, PhD, , MD, , MD, PhD, , MD, , MD, PhD, , MD, PhD, , MD, , MD, PhD, , MD, PhD, , MD, PhD
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      Publication date (Electronic):
      Journal: Medicine
      Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health

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          Abstract

          Constipation is a common childhood complaint. In 90% to 95% of children, constipation is functional, which means that there is no objective evidence of an underlying pathological condition. Polyethylene glycol (PEG or macrogol) solution is an osmotic laxative agent that is absorbed in only trace amounts from the gastrointestinal tract and routinely used to treat chronic constipation in adults. Here, we report the results of a meta-analysis of PEG-based laxatives compared with lactulose, milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide), oral liquid paraffin (mineral oil), or acacia fiber, psyllium fiber, and fructose in children.

          This meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and involved searches of MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases up to February 10, 2014, using the keywords (Constipation OR Functional Constipation OR Fecal Impaction) AND (Children) AND (Polyethylene Glycol OR Laxative). Primary efficacy outcomes included a number of stool passages/wk and percentage of patients who reported satisfactory stool consistency. Secondary safety outcomes included diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, pain or straining at defecation, bloating or flatulence, hard stool consistency, poor palatability, and rectal bleeding.

          We identified 231 articles, 27 of which were suitable for full-text review and 10 of which were used in the meta-analysis. Patients who were treated with PEG experienced more successful disimpaction compared with those treated with non-PEG laxatives. Treatment-related adverse events were acceptable and generally well tolerated. PEG-based laxatives are effective and safe for chronic constipation and for resolving fecal impaction in children. Children’s acceptance of PEG-based laxatives appears to be better than non-PEG laxatives.

          Optimal dosages, routes of administration, and PEG regimens should be determined in future randomized controlled studies and meta-analyses.

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          PEG 3350 (Transipeg) versus lactulose in the treatment of childhood functional constipation: a double blind, randomised, controlled, multicentre trial.

          J Heijmans, Francisco Núñez de Cáceres González, Jan Taminiau … (2004)
          Recently, polyethylene glycol (PEG 3350) has been suggested as a good alternative laxative to lactulose as a treatment option in paediatric constipation. However, no large randomised controlled trials exist evaluating the efficacy of either laxative. To compare PEG 3350 (Transipeg: polyethylene glycol with electrolytes) with lactulose in paediatric constipation and evaluate clinical efficacy/side effects. One hundred patients (aged 6 months-15 years) with paediatric constipation were included in an eight week double blinded, randomised, controlled trial. After faecal disimpaction, patients or =6 years started with 2 sachets/day. Primary outcome measures were: defecation and encopresis frequency/week and successful treatment after eight weeks. Success was defined as a defecation frequency > or =3/week and encopresis < or =1 every two weeks. Secondary outcome measures were side effects after eight weeks of treatment. A total of 91 patients (49 male) completed the study. A significant increase in defecation frequency (PEG 3350: 3 pre v 7 post treatment/week; lactulose: 3 pre v 6 post/week) and a significant decrease in encopresis frequency (PEG 3350: 10 pre v 3 post/week; lactulose: 8 pre v 3 post/week) was found in both groups (NS). However, success was significantly higher in the PEG group (56%) compared with the lactulose group (29%). PEG 3350 patients reported less abdominal pain, straining, and pain at defecation than children using lactulose. However, bad taste was reported significantly more often in the PEG group. PEG 3350 (0.26 (0.11) g/kg), compared with lactulose (0.66 (0.32) g/kg), provided a higher success rate with fewer side effects. PEG 3350 should be the laxative of first choice in childhood constipation.
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            A randomized, prospective, comparison study of polyethylene glycol 3350 without electrolytes and milk of magnesia for children with constipation and fecal incontinence.

            Dinesh Pashankar, Vera Loening-Baucke (2006)
            Our aim was to compare 2 laxatives, namely, polyethylene glycol 3350 without electrolytes and milk of magnesia, evaluating the efficacy, safety, acceptance, and 1-year outcomes. Seventy-nine children with chronic constipation and fecal incontinence were assigned randomly to receive polyethylene glycol or milk of magnesia and were treated for 12 months in tertiary care pediatric clinics. Children were counted as improved or recovered depending on resolution of constipation, fecal incontinence, and abdominal pain after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. An intent-to-treat analysis was used. Safety was assessed with evaluation of clinical adverse effects and blood tests. Thirty-nine children were assigned randomly to receive polyethylene glycol and 40 to receive milk of magnesia. At each follow-up visit, significant improvement was seen in both groups, with significant increases in the frequency of bowel movements, decreases in the frequency of incontinence episodes, and resolution of abdominal pain. Compliance rates were 95% for polyethylene glycol and 65% for milk of magnesia. After 12 months, 62% of polyethylene glycol-treated children and 43% of milk of magnesia-treated children exhibited improvement, and 33% of polyethylene glycol-treated children and 23% of milk of magnesia-treated children had recovered. Polyethylene glycol and milk of magnesia did not cause clinically significant side effects or blood abnormalities, except that 1 child was allergic to polyethylene glycol. In this randomized study, polyethylene glycol and milk of magnesia were equally effective in the long-term treatment of children with constipation and fecal incontinence. Polyethylene glycol was safe for the long-term treatment of these children and was better accepted by the children than milk of magnesia.
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              Treatment of faecal impaction with polyethelene glycol plus electrolytes (PGE + E) followed by a double-blind comparison of PEG + E versus lactulose as maintenance therapy.

              David C A Candy, Jodi Edwards, M Geraint (2006)
              To assess the efficacy of polyethylene glycol 3350 plus electrolytes (PEG + E; Movicol) as oral monotherapy in the treatment of faecal impaction in children, and to compare PEG + E with lactulose as maintenance therapy in a randomised trial. An initial open-label study of PEG + E in the inpatient treatment of faecal impaction (phase 1), followed by a randomised, double-blind comparison between PEG + E and lactulose for maintenance treatment of constipation over a 3-month period (phase 2) in children aged 2 to 11 years with a clinical diagnosis of faecal impaction. Disimpaction on PEG + E was achieved in 58 (92%) of 63 of children (89% of 2-4 year olds and 94% of 5-11 year olds) without additional interventions. A maximum dose of 4 sachets (for 2-4 year olds) or 6 sachets (for 5-11 year olds) was required; median time to disimpaction was 6 days (range, 3-7 days). Seven children (23%) reimpacted whilst taking lactulose, whereas no children reimpacted while taking PEG + E (P = 0.011). The total incidence rate of adverse events seen was higher in the lactulose group (83%) than in the PEG + E group (64%). PEG + E is safe and highly effective in the management of childhood constipation. It allows a single orally administered laxative to be used for disimpaction without recourse to invasive interventions. It is significantly more effective than lactulose as maintenance therapy, both in efficacy in treating constipation and efficacy in preventing the recurrence of faecal impaction.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Journal ID (nlm-ta): Medicine (Baltimore)
                Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Medicine (Baltimore)
                Journal ID (publisher-id): MEDI
                Title: Medicine
                Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health
                ISSN (Print): 0025-7974
                ISSN (Electronic): 1536-5964
                Publication date Collection: October 2014
                Publication date (Electronic): 03 October 2014
                Volume: 93
                Issue: 16
                Electronic Location Identifier: e65
                Affiliations
                Department of Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (S-LC, S-RC, LD, X-HZ, J-JP, J-BX, W-FL, C-QC, J-PM, Y-LH); and Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan (T-DL), Guangdong Province, China.
                Author notes
                Correspondence: Yu-Long He, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China (e-mail: ylh@ 123456medmail.com.cn ).
                Article
                Accession ID: 00065
                DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000000065
                PMC ID: 4616298
                PubMed ID: 25310742
                SO-VID: 6412945c-34bd-4eb2-bd2a-9514f4ce53b5
                Copyright © © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
                License:

                This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, where it is permissible to download, share and reproduce the work in any medium, provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be used commercially. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

                History
                Date received : 18 June 2014
                Date accepted : 4 July 2014
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