Bee Honey and Functional Dyspepsia in Children

Functional dyspepsia (FD), among the most common gastrointestinal (GIT) disorders, is characterized by early satiation, postprandial fullness, epigastric pain, or epigastric burning in the absence of an organic or metabolic disease. FD is not a life-threatening serious illness, but its symptoms could persist; rather, they limit one's social life and reduce their quality of life. In addition, FD constitutes a serious disease burden worldwide because of its high prevalence.

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in the form of Omeprazole had the best result on all dyspeptic symptoms being relieved on children aged 3-18 years with dyspepsia.

Nonetheless, the efficacy of pharmacological therapies remains unsatisfactory and a considerable number of FD patients are refractory to conventional pharmacological treatments. Furthermore, low compliance of the traditional therapy can be observed in some FD patients as they would opt out from these pharmacological options because of the concerns on the side effects. In the absence of an approved drug to treat FD many patients seek person-centered, nonpharmacological approaches.

As the consumption of nutrients can moderate the sensors of the upper gastrointestinal tract movement, changes in diet can probably improve the symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Alternative and complementary medicine has also been proposed as a practical treatment for dyspepsia. Another substance used for treating this disorder is honey, which is economical and has a short treatment period. Many old sources have reported the use of honey for preventing stomach ulcers, gastritis, and gastroenteritis. Honey has a stimulating effect on the stomach nerves, which may be due to the antioxidant activity of honey. According to a study, the consumption of honey reduces the acidic activity of the stomach by 56%. Another study showed the effect of honey on the improved blood supply of stomach microscopic capillaries and it helped in the repair of ulcers. The symptoms of functional dyspepsia can also be improved through diet education. In various studies, most people have reported the onset or exacerbation of dyspepsia symptoms after eating. Unhealthy nutritional behaviors can exacerbate the symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

Adjuvant supplementation of honey based formulation of Nigella sativa can cause significant symptomatic improvement of patients with functional dyspepsia.

Honey is considered one of the most common foods having alleviating effects on non-ulcer dyspepsia.

In considerations of scarce knowledge in this field, health attributes of bee honey as a reliable therapy to improve the symptoms of functional dyspepsia in children, deserves seeking for.

Inclusion criteria

• All patients between 8 and 18 years-old, based on Rome IV criteria that provide evidence-based definitions and classifications for so-called functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as functional dyspepsia in children and adolescents, with 1 or more of the following bothersome symptoms at least 4 days per month for at least 2 months:
• Postprandial fullness
• Early satiation
• Epigastric pain or burning not associated with defecation
• After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot be fully explained by another medical condition
• Postprandial distress syndrome includes bothersome postprandial fullness or early satiation that prevents finishing a regular meal. Supportive features include upper abdominal bloating, postprandial nausea, or excessive belching.
• Epigastric pain syndrome, which includes all of the following: bothersome (severe enough to interfere with normal activities) pain or burning localized to the epigastrium. The pain is not generalized or localized to other abdominal or chest regions and is not relieved by defecation or passage of flatus. Supportive criteria can include (a) burning quality of the pain but without a retrosternal component and (b) the pain commonly induced or relieved by ingestion of a meal but may occur while fasting.

Exclusion criteria

• The presence of alarm symptoms and signs which might suggest underlying organic pathology as listed in Rome III criteria including: (Persistent right upper or right lower quadrant pain, dysphagia, persistent vomiting, gastrointestinal blood loss, nocturnal diarrhea, family history of inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, or peptic ulcer disease, pain that wakes the child from sleep, arthritis, perirectal disease, involuntary weight loss, deceleration of linear growth, delayed puberty or unexplained fever).
• Gastrointestinal tract surgery, one year post-operative.
• Diabetes mellitus
• Any debilitating disorder e.g. malignancy, severe malnutrition, renal failure, etc.
• Patients on medications that may produce GIT disorders e.g. aspirin, steroids or NSAIDs