What are Normal Defecation Patterns in Healthy Children up to Four Years of Age? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - 22/09/23
, Carrie A.M. Wegh, MSc, PhD 1, 2, ∗, Tessa J.M. de Leeuw, MSc 2, Faridi S. van Etten – Jamaludin, BSc 3, Elaine E. Vaughan, PhD 4, Margriet H.C. Schoterman, MSc 5, Clara Belzer, PhD 1, Hauke Smidt, PhD 2, Merit M. Tabbers, MD, PhD 1, Marc A. Benninga, MD, PhD 1, Ilan J.N. Koppen, MD, PhD 1Abstract |
Objective |
To summarize available data on defecation frequency and stool consistency of healthy children up to age 4 in order to estimate normal references values.
Study design |
Systematic review including cross-sectional, observational, and interventional studies published in English, that reported on defecation frequency and/or stool consistency in healthy children 0-4 years old.
Results |
Seventy-five studies were included with 16 393 children and 40 033 measurements of defecation frequency and/or stool consistency. Based on visual inspection of defecation frequency data, a differentiation was made between two age categories: young infants (0-14 weeks old) and young children (15 weeks-4 years old). Young infants had a mean defecation frequency of 21.8 per week (95 % CI, 3.9-35.2) compared with 10.9 (CI, 5.7-16.7) in young children (P < .001). Among young infants, human milk-fed (HMF) infants had the highest mean defecation frequency per week (23.2 [CI, 8.8-38.1]), followed by formula-fed (FF) infants (13.7 [CI 5.4-23.9]), and mixed-fed (MF) infants (20.7 [CI, 7.0-30.2]). Hard stools were infrequently reported in young infants (1.5%) compared with young children (10.5%), and a reduction in the frequency of soft/watery stools was observed with higher age (27.0% in young infants compared with 6.2% in young children). HMF young infants had softer stools compared with FF young infants.
Conclusions |
Young infants (0-14 weeks old) have softer and more frequent stools compared with young children (15 weeks-4 years old).
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Abbreviations : FF, HMF, m-BSFS, MF, WHO
Plan
Vol 261
Article 113559- octobre 2023 Retour au numéro
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