Multidisciplinary Approaches in Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease

Children seen in pediatric gastroenterology units may present with various symptoms and be diagnosed with acute gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, chronic organic diseases, or functional GI disorders. Up to half of these children have a functional disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Chronic organic GI disorders include inflammatory bowel disease, chronic hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and peptic ulcer disease. The most common pediatric GI disorder remains, however, acute infectious gastroenteritis, which represents one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 years of age, especially in low-income countries. In addition to these conditions that might only lead to gut symptoms, some children have systemic concerns, while others might have GI symptoms in the context of other systemic conditions. Infection with Helicobacter pylori is one example of a GI condition that might lead to various other presentations.

Whilst all the children seen in gastroenterology units impact workload to some degree, those diagnosed with chronic conditions have a much greater impact on the units and also more generally upon the healthcare system.

Across these varied disorders (functional, acute and chronic gastrointestinal), a multi-disciplinary approach (rather than a physician-focused model) has been shown to improve the quality of care delivered and improve the quality of life, psychological well-being, social interactions and educational performance of these children.

This Research Topic aims to attract publications that highlight the relevance and importance of a multidisciplinary approach to GI disorders. This is especially relevant to chronic GI conditions, but also to those where a clear diagnosis is elusive (in which the involvement of different disciplines might enable a diagnosis to be reached). Furthermore, this Research Topic aims also to incorporate researchers from various subspecialties, who have been confronted with or have contributed to the care of childhood and adolescent gastrointestinal conditions. Reviews or original articles are welcomed.