Distinguishing Clinical Features of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical characteristics that distinguish cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) from cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), 2 conditions marked by episodes of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to a large children's health care system from 2015 through 2022. Patients with CHS and CVS were identified by the electronic medical record using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision codes. RESULTS: Of 201 patients screened, 125 were included. Patients with CHS were older than those with CVS (mean [SD] 18.06 [1.41] vs 14.50 [2.91] years, P < .001). There were no significant differences in sex, race, ethnicity, or hospital length of stay between groups. Patients with CHS were more likely to have a positive urine drug screen (86% vs 2.9%, P < .001), lower mean (SD) serum potassium (3.62 [0.77] vs 3.88 [0.49], P < .001), and greater mean (SD) serum creatinine (0.83 (0.41) vs 0.63 (0.17), P < .001). The average (SD) systolic blood pressure was significantly greater in patients with CHS (systolic blood pressure 124.46 [10.66] vs 118.55 [10.99], P = .032) compared with children of comparable age range with CVS. Imaging was obtained in 36% of all patients, and only 2.4% had abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical features including older age, greater systolic blood pressure, positive urine drug screen, and select electrolyte findings might distinguish CHS from CVS. Abdominal imaging in both conditions is of low yield. These findings may allow for early recognition and appropriate therapy in CHS patients.

COVID-19-associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Presenting as Acute Pancreatitis.

In April 2020, a newly recognized pediatric disorder associated with COVID-19 characterized by significant inflammation with symptoms resembling Kawasaki disease was described by medical teams in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Before these reports, data from the initial COVID-19 outbreaks in China had not found the virus to cause significant morbidity or mortality in children. To date, pancreatitis has not yet been reported in either acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in children or the subsequent inflammatory syndrome. We describe a patient who presented with acute pancreatitis before rapidly progressing to multisystem organ dysfunction consistent with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children due to COVID-19. Clinicians should be aware that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, pancreatitis can be an early presentation of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

Growth and Nutrition in Cystic Fibrosis.

Optimal nutrition support has been integral in the management of cystic fibrosis (CF) since the disease was initially described. Nutritional status has a clear relationship with disease outcomes, and malnutrition in CF is typically a result of chronic negative energy balance secondary to malabsorption. As the mechanisms underlying the pathology of CF and its implications on nutrient absorption and energy expenditure have been elucidated, nutrition support has become increasingly sophisticated. Comprehensive nutrition monitoring and treatment guidelines from professional and advocacy organizations have unified the approach to nutrition optimization around the world. Newborn screening allows for early nutrition intervention and improvement in short- and long-term growth and other clinical outcomes. The nutrition support goal in CF care includes achieving optimal nutritional status to support growth and pubertal development in children, maintenance of optimal nutritional status in adult life, and optimizing fat soluble vitamin and essential fatty acid status. The mainstay of this approach is a high calorie, high-fat diet, exceeding age, and sex energy intake recommendations for healthy individuals. For patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, enzyme replacement therapy is required to improve fat and calorie absorption. Enzyme dosing varies by age and dietary fat intake. Multiple potential impediments to absorption, including decreased motility, altered gut luminal bile salt and microbiota composition, and enteric inflammation must be considered. Fat soluble vitamin supplementation is required in patients with pancreatic insufficiency. In this report, nutrition support across the age and disease spectrum is discussed, with a focus on the relationships among nutritional status, growth, and disease outcomes.

Tutorial: Nutrition Therapy in Eosinophilic Esophagitis-Outcomes and Deficiencies.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease that presents with symptoms of esophageal dysfunction, which vary by age. Diagnosis is made by upper endoscopy with esophageal biopsies to identify dense eosinophilic inflammation with at least 15 eosinophils per high-power field. Untreated, EoE can progress from inflammatory to esophageal remodeling with fibrosis and stricture formation. Food antigens are the primary trigger of inflammation in EoE. The most common food antigen triggers are dairy, wheat, egg, and soy. EoE can be managed with steroids or dietary elimination of food triggers. Elimination diets differ by the number of foods removed with specific nutrition implications for each diet. In addition, patients receiving swallowed steroids may have feeding dysfunction and need support for growth and nutrition intake. A multidisciplinary approach to care, including a dietitian, is integral to EoE management.

Measures of Dietary Fat and Energy Absorption in Healthy Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Existing reference ranges for stool fat and energy absorption were developed using subjects in controlled environments on precise diets. This study measured energy and fat absorption in healthy, community-dwelling adults eating a moderate-to-high fat American diet via stool- and serum-based methods. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of healthy subjects recruited as the comparison group in a chronic pancreatitis study. Subjects recorded dietary intake and collected stool over 3-day periods. Stool was analyzed for fat content using the coefficient of fat absorption and for energy content using bomb calorimetry. The malabsorption blood test (MBT) was used to measure dietary fat absorption. RESULTS: Nineteen subjects had mean daily stool measures of 143 g wet weight, 4.1 g of fat, and 178 kcal. The mean coefficients of fat and energy absorption were 96% and 93%, respectively. The mean MBT area under the curve cut-point was greater than 8 mg·h/dL. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the historical reference range for the coefficient of fat absorption in contemporary healthy, community-dwelling adults on a moderate-to-high fat diet. The study contributes to the development of reference range values for multiple bomb calorimetry-based outcomes of stool energy losses and to the serum-based MBT as a promising method for measuring fat absorption.

Management of intra-abdominal abscesses in children with Crohn's disease: a 12-year, retrospective single-center review.

BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal abscesses (IAA) are complications of Crohn's disease, which often result in hospitalization, surgery, and increased cost. Initial management may include medical therapy, percutaneous drainage (PD), or surgery, although the optimal management of IAA in children is unclear. METHODS: Retrospective review of all pediatric patients with Crohn's disease who developed an IAA from January 1, 2000 to April 30, 2012. Three groups, based on initial IAA treatment modality (medical, PD, and surgery), were compared. RESULTS: Thirty cases of IAA were identified (mean age at IAA diagnosis, 15.4 ± 2.6 yr, 67% female, median Crohn's disease duration, 2.6 mo). Computed tomography was the most common initial (93%) and follow-up (47%) imaging. The average time to follow-up imaging was 8.5 days. For initial management, 18 received medical therapy, 10 PD, and 2 had surgery. The medical therapy group received more computed tomography scans for follow-up imaging than the PD group (12 [67%] versus 2 [20%], P = 0.046). There were no significant differences in abscess characteristics or management of posttreatment course between these 2 groups. Surgical resection occurred in 3 patients (17%) in the medical group and 2 (20%) in the PD group during index hospitalization. No significant differences were identified among treatment groups for readmissions, complications, or abscess recurrence. By 1 year, 12 of the 18 medically managed patients (67%) had surgery, and 6 of the 10 patients (60%) treated with initial PD ultimately had surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with IAA require definitive surgical treatment, and there were no clear predictors of those who did not.