Rome III criteria in parents' hands: pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders in community children and associations with somatic complaints and mental health.

Objectives: To determine (a) the prevalence of Rome III abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders in a western community sample of children, (b) their associations with sociodemographic factors, and (c) whether children fulfilling Rome III abdominal pain diagnoses show higher rates of psychological distress and somatization.

Methods: Data were collected from parents of 6-10-year-old children who were recruited from 22 public grammar schools in Germany. A total of 1537 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders were diagnosed on the basis of questionnaire responses by Rome III criteria. Further, somatic complaints as well as emotional and behavioral problems were assessed.

Results: In total, 7.7% of children aged 6-10 years fulfilled the criteria for at least one Rome III abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorder according to their parents. The most prevalent diagnoses were irritable bowel syndrome (4.9%) and functional abdominal pain (2.0%). Assigned diagnoses were not associated with sociodemographic factors. We could confirm that abdominal pain-related functional disorders, especially irritable bowel syndrome, were strongly associated with somatization and emotional problems in community.

Conclusion: Rome III abdominal pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders are a common health problem in children and are, even in community, strongly associated with other somatic complaints and psychological distress.