Efficacy of Acotiamide in Pediatric Patients with Functional Dyspepsia

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a chronic disorder characterized by upper abdominal symptoms in the absence of an identifiable organic cause. Although the efficacy of acotiamide has been demonstrated in adults with FD, its effectiveness in pediatric patients remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of acotiamide in pediatric patients with FD. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 33 patients with FD, aged <16 years, who received acotiamide at a single children's hospital between August 2013 and March 2022. Symptomatic improvement was observed in 57.6% (19/33) of patients one month after acotiamide administration. The improvement rates were 63.6%, 20.0%, and 66.7% among patients with epigastric pain syndrome (EPS), postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), and overlap PDS-EPS, respectively. No statistically significant differences in symptomatic improvement rates were noted among the subtypes (p=0.213). Two patients discontinued acotiamide because of abdominal pain, but no serious adverse events were reported. Acotiamide demonstrated efficacy in pediatric FD, which is consistent with previously reported outcomes in adults. Acotiamide may be a beneficial treatment option for pediatric FD across all subtypes.