FGIDs – Impact on families and social life

When a baby or infant is in distress due to a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) it can affect the whole family and lead to increased stress and medical expenditure. Healthcare professionals are key when it comes to managing expectations and offering the right medical advice.

Several studies have demonstrated the negative impact of infant colic, infant regurgitation and constipation, not only on the infant, but on the whole family due to the anxiety and distress parents feel when a small infant has symptoms related to FGIDs^1-3. This impact has been shown to be both short- and long-term^2-7. For example, it has been demonstrated that the social interaction between both parents and the child – particularly between fathers and infants – was less optimal in families with infants that cried excessively⁸. Additionally, there is evidence that infant FGIDs are associated with gastrointestinal symptoms by the time the child reaches its teens⁹.

Impact of FGIDs         

In terms of healthcare provision, one direct and highly important effect on families is on expenditure due to the high number of doctors’ appointments. In the US, >1 million visits for infant regurgitation are recorded per year, while acute constipation in infants under one is the leading reason for emergency department visits. Average costs have been calculated at $2,306 (€2.1K) per patient in the US¹⁰, while figures from England point to sleeping and crying problems in babies (under three months) costing the health service at least €80M ($88M) per year¹¹.

Healthcare professionals are key

Healthcare professionals play a crucial role when it comes to providing parents with information and support to help them understand and manage an infant’s gastrointestinal symptoms. For this reason, healthcare visits are not only centered around the child’s symptom(s), but also look at the family’s fears. The physician must both make a diagnosis and recognize the impact of the symptoms on the family’s emotions and ability to function.

Leading pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition groups have published guidelines and expert consensus for the management of infant regurgitation, colic and constipation. In these groups, parental education and reassurance, together with nutritional advice, are widely accepted as first-intent management for common gastrointestinal problems¹². If a child is being partly or exclusively breastfed, the mother should be encouraged to continue throughout the FGID phase, however difficult this may initially appear. It was also concluded that pharmacological therapy was often not effective and could produce adverse effects¹².

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