Diet and Chronic Pain

The aim of this 2019 study was to check for a correlation between incidence of allergic diseases with the prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in children diagnosed with chronic abdominal pain (CAP). Both conditions have been associated with chronic abdominal pain. While SIBO is a well-known cause of chronic abdominal pain among children, patients with a history of allergic disorders tend to also present with chronic abdominal pain. The study included children with chronic abdominal pain who had undergone a lactulose hydrogen breath test to determine the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Allergy disorders were identified by either taking a skin prick test or assessing for specific immunoglobulins (IgE). SIBO was diagnosed in 35 of the 70 patients participating in this experiment. Most children with SIBO (71%) had an allergic disease. In fact, those with SIBO were 5.45 times more likely to have any type of allergy, compared to those without SIBO. There was a connection between small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and allergic disease, particularly allergic rhinitis, cow's milk protein allergy and asthma. The researchers believe that pediatric patients with chronic abdominal pain or allergic disease should test for SIBO to rule it out as a cause of their symptoms.