The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 156, Issue 5 , Pages 766-770.e1 , May 2010

Bacterial Overgrowth and Methane Production in Children with Encopresis

  • Alycia Leiby, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
    • Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
    • ,
  • Devendra Mehta, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
    • Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
    • ,
  • Vani Gopalareddy, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
    • Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
    • ,
  • Susan Jackson-Walker, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Behavioral Health, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
    • Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
    • ,
  • Karoly Horvath, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
    • Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Karoly Horvath, MD, PhD, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, 1600 Rockland Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803.

Received 22 June 2009 ,Revised 14 September 2009 ,Accepted 30 October 2009.

References 

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  3. Loening-Baucke V. Encopresis. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2002;14:570–575
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  9. Fiedorek SC, Pumphrey CL, Casteel HB. Breath methane production in children with constipation and encopresis. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1990;10:473–477
  10. Stephen AM, Wiggins HS, Englyst HN, Cole TJ, Wayman BJ, Cummings JH. The effect of age, sex and level of intake of dietary fibre from wheat on large-bowel function in thirty healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 1986;56:349–361
  11. Levitt MD, Furne JK, Kuskowski M, Ruddy J. Stability of human methanogenic flora over 35 years and a review of insights obtained from breath methane measurements. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006;4:123–129
  12. Weaver GA, Krause JA, Miller TL, Wolin MJ. Incidence of methanogenic bacteria in a sigmoidoscopy population: an association of methanogenic bacteria and diverticulosis. Gut. 1986;27:698–704
  13. Chatterjee S, Park S, Low K, Kong Y, Pimentel M. The degree of breath methane production in IBS correlates with the severity of constipation. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007;102:837–841
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  15. Bujanover Y, Peled Y, Blau H, Yahav J, Katzenelson D, Gilat T. Methane production in patients with cystic fibrosis. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1987;6:377–380
  16. King CE, Toskes PP. Small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Gastroenterology. 1979;76:1035–1055
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  18. Bond JH, Engel RR, Levitt MD. Factors influencing pulmonary methane excretion in man. An indirect method of studying the in situ metabolism of the methane-producing colonic bacteria. J Exp Med. 1971;133:572–588
  19. Rhodes JM, Middleton P, Jewell DP. The lactulose hydrogen breath test as a diagnostic test for small-bowel bacterial overgrowth. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1979;14:333–336
  20. Corazza GR, Menozzi MG, Strocchi A, Rasciti L, Vaira D, Lecchini R, et al. The diagnosis of small bowel bacterial overgrowth. Reliability of jejunal culture and inadequacy of breath hydrogen testing. Gastroenterology. 1990;98:302–309
  21. Pimentel M, Chatterjee S, Chow EJ, Park S, Kong Y. Neomycin improves constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome in a fashion that is dependent on the presence of methane gas: subanalysis of a double-blind randomized controlled study. Dig Dis Sci. 2006;51:1297–1301
  22. Stephen AM. Dietary fibre and colonic nitrogen metabolism. Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl. 1987;129:110–115
  23. Coremans G, Geypens B, Vos R, Tack J, Margaritis V, Ghoos Y, et al. Influence of continuous isobaric rectal distension on gastric emptying and small bowel transit in young healthy women. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2004;16:107–111
  24. Zarate N, Knowles CH, Yazaki E, Lunnis PJ, Scott SM. Clinical presentation and patterns of slow transit constipation do not predict coexistent upper gut dysmotility. Dig Dis Sci. 2009;54:122–131
  25. Joseph F, Rosenberg AJ. Breath hydrogen testing: diseased versus normal patients. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1988;7:787–788
  26. Saad RJ, Chey WD. Breath tests for Gastrointestinal disease: The Real Deal or Just a lot of Hot Air?. Gastroenterology. 2007;133:1763–1766
  27. Khoshini R, Dai SC, Lezcano S, Pimentel M. A systematic review of diagnostic tests for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Dig Dis Sci. 2008;53:1443–1454

 Funding for the project was obtained through the Nemours Foundation. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PII: S0022-3476(09)01093-2

doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.10.043

The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 156, Issue 5 , Pages 766-770.e1 , May 2010

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