LAUSR

ABSTRACT Recent reports document avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms among 24-43% of adults presenting to neurogastroenterology clinics, but ARFID in pediatrics is understudied. We conducted a retrospective review of charts from 129 consecutive referrals (ages 6-18 y; 57% female) for pediatric neurogastroenterology examination, from January 2016 through December 2018. Eleven cases (8%) met the full criteria for DSM-5 ARFID and 19 cases (15%) had clinically significant avoidant/restrictive eating behaviors with insufficient information for a definitive ARFID diagnosis. Of patients with ARFID symptoms (n = 30), 20 (67%) cited fear of gastrointestinal symptoms as motivation for their avoidant/restrictive eating. Compared to patients without ARFID symptoms, patients with ARFID symptoms were older (p  < .001), more likely to be female (51% vs. 79%, p = .014), and more frequently presented with eating/weight-related complaints (13% vs. 32%, p = .026). This pilot retrospective study showed ARFID symptoms present in 23% of pediatric neurogastroenterology patients; further research is needed to understand risk and maintenance factors of ARFID in the neurogastroenterology setting. An infographic is available for this article at:http://links.lww.com/MPG/C614.