Peer-reviewed article
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) Symptoms in Adolescent Patients With Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction.
Camden E Matherne, Hunna J Watson, Ricarda Schmidt, Lisa Zhu, Cassandra Pamperin et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how common avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms are in adolescents with gut-brain disorders. Researchers surveyed 38 young people aged 12-17 and their caregivers at a gastroenterology clinic, finding that about 42% of youth and 55% of caregivers reported clinically significant ARFID symptoms. Adolescents with more severe ARFID symptoms also had worse gastrointestinal symptoms, more psychiatric problems, lower quality of life, and weight loss or growth problems. The study shows that these two conditions often occur together and are associated with poorer health outcomes.
Key points
- 42% of adolescents and 55% of caregivers reported clinically significant ARFID symptoms
- ARFID symptoms were associated with more severe GI and psychiatric symptoms
- ARFID symptoms were linked to lower quality of life
- ARFID symptoms were associated with clinically significant weight loss or faltering growth
- Agreement between youth and caregiver reports of ARFID symptoms was good to excellent
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional observational study with a small sample of 38 adolescents, which cannot establish causality or determine whether ARFID symptoms cause worse outcomes or result from the gut-brain disorders. The study does not specify the country or countries where it was conducted.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) share clinical characteristics. However, research on the prevalence of ARFID symptoms in youth with DGBI and the clinical presentation of DGBI youth with varying levels of ARFID symptoms is limited. METHOD: In this cross-sectional observational study, 38 adolescents (range 12-17 years; 71% female) with a diagnosed DGBI receiving treatment at a pediatric gastroenterology clinic and a primary caregiver completed the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS). Gastrointestinal (GI), psychiatric, quality of life (QOL), and weight/growth outcomes were assessed via youth- and caregiver-reported questionnaires, anthropometrics, and a water load test. ARFID symptoms were characterized, and their associations with GI, psychiatric symptoms, QOL, and weight/growth outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Clinically significant ARFID symptoms were reported by 42% of youth and 55% of caregivers. ARFID symptoms were associated with more severe GI and psychiatric symptoms, lower QOL, and clinically significant weight loss or faltering growth. While associations became non-significant after false discovery rate correction, the effect sizes were medium to large, clearly demonstrating meaningful associations. Agreements between youth and caregiver NIAS reports were good to excellent. DISCUSSION: ARFID symptoms are common in adolescents with DGBI and associated with clinical severity. Further elucidating this common co-morbidity and developing guidelines for effective co-management are priorities.