Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33830440›Full record

Trial reportIndian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology2021

Efficacy of polyethylene glycol 3350 as compared to lactulose in treatment of ROME IV criteria-defined pediatric functional constipation: A randomized controlled trial.

Nirmala Dheivamani, Winston Thomas, Rohit Bannerjii, Mallar Mukherjee, Monjori Mitra

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Indian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Review
  5. Functional constipation in pediatric patients: an observational study in southern Brazil.Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina · 2025
    Observational
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Nirmala DheivamaniInstitute of Child Health, Halls Road, Egmore, Chennai, 600 008, India.
Winston ThomasInstitute of Child Health, Halls Road, Egmore, Chennai, 600 008, India.
Rohit BannerjiiDepartment of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health, 11, Biresh Guha Street, Kolkata, 100 017, India.
Mallar MukherjeeDepartment of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health, 11, Biresh Guha Street, Kolkata, 100 017, India.
Monjori MitraDepartment of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health, 11, Biresh Guha Street, Kolkata, 100 017, India. monjorimr@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0275-7723
Institute of Child Health · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsFunctional constipation is a common childhood problem, with a prevalence of approximately 3% worldwide. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 and lactulose in the treatment of pediatric functional constipation.

methodsA total of 100 subjects with functional constipation were enrolled and centrally randomized to receive PEG 3350 (0.7-1.5 mg/kg/day) or lactulose (0.7-2.0 g/kg/day).

resultsThere was a significant increase in median (min, max) stool frequency within 1 week in the PEG 3350 group as compared to the lactulose group (1 [0, 3] to 8 [3, 39] vs. 1 [0, 3] to 7 [1, 17]) (p-value < 0.01). The trend was maintained at week 2, week 3 (p-value < 0.01), and week 4 (p-value = 0.05) with the PEG 3350 group reporting higher weekly median stool frequency than the lactulose group. The PEG group reported significant reduction in painful bowel movements from 68.8% subjects at baseline to 43.8% at the end of first week, whereas the lactulose group reported an increase from 48.9% to 73.3% (p-value = 0.05). Other parameters of constipation, i.e. straining, large diameter stool, and large fecal mass as reported subjectively by parents, significantly decreased from baseline to the end of the study in the PEG 3350 arm compared to those in the lactulose arm. At the end of week 4, there was a statistically significant reduction in all the ROME IV-defined criteria between the two groups.

conclusionThis study proved that the PEG 3350 treatment group had early symptom relief and significant improvement compared to the lactulose group in pediatric functional constipation.

trial registrationClinical Trials Registry India (CTRI/2018/01/011061).

Indexed as

LactulosePolyethylene GlycolsChildConstipationHumansRomeTreatment OutcomeLactulosepolyethylene glycol 3350Polyethylene GlycolsEncopresisLactuloseLarge diameter stoolPainful bowel movementPediatric functional constipationPEG 3350ROME IVStool frequency

Identifiers

PMID33830440
OpenAlexW3142995246

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.