A pilot study to assess the efficacy of biofeedback-assisted relaxation training as an adjunct treatment for pediatric functional dyspepsia associated with duodenal eosinophilia.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a pilot study examining whether adding biofeedback-assisted relaxation training (BART) to medication treatment results in better clinical outcomes than medication treatment alone for children with functional dyspepsia (FD) associated with duodenal eosinophilia, a subgroup of children with recurrent abdominal pain. METHODS: Twenty children were randomly assigned to receive a standardized medication treatment or medication plus 10 sessions of BART. Children and parents completed psychosocial functioning and quality of life measures at baseline, posttreatment, and 6 months. Children rated pain daily via PDA. Physicians provided biweekly assessments of clinical improvement. RESULTS: Children receiving medication plus BART demonstrated better outcomes on pain intensity, duration of pain episodes, and clinical improvement than children receiving medication alone. CONCLUSIONS: BART is a promising adjunctive treatment for pediatric FD associated with duodenal eosinophilia. Electronic daily diaries appear to be a useful approach to assessing changes in self-reported pain ratings in this population.