Approach to mild digestive disorders in infants in primary care pediatric consultations: a cross-sectional, multicenter observational study

Introduction: mild digestive disorders (MDD) are common in early childhood and a general concern for families.

Objective: to describe the clinical profile, prevalence and therapeutic approach to MDD in Spanish pediatric practice.

Material and methods: observational, retrospective, multicenter study involving pediatricians who treated infants and children under 2 years of age with MDD in primary care pediatric clinics in Spain. Participants completed a survey with sociodemographic data, MDD prevalence, symptoms, treatment, and parents' perception of the impact of the disorder.

Results: a total of 199 pediatricians (78.9% women) with a mean age of 46.3 years participated. Infant colic was the most common TDL (37.6%), followed by regurgitation (26.8%) and functional constipation (21.9%). 96.5% of participants did not recommend switching to formula feeding in cases of breastfeeding, while 67.3% recommended special formulas to treat TDL and 82.9% recommended probiotics, especially Lactobacillus reuteri. 91.5% asked about the impact on parents' quality of life, with lack of rest (96.5%) and family distress (94.5%) being the most common effects.

Conclusions: MDD is common and significantly affects families. The clinical approach includes dietary and postural measures and the use of probiotics, with a focus on the well-being of the infant and their environment.