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 Vol. 12 No. 5, November 2004
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AAP Grand Rounds 12:57 (2004)
© 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics

RESIDENTS

Safety and Efficacy of Polyethylene Glycol in Children < 18 Months

Source: Michail S, Gendy E, Preud’Homme D, et al. Polyethylene glycol for constipation in children younger than eighteen months old. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004;39:197–199.[Medline]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

In a retrospective chart review conducted at Wright State University School of Medicine and The Children’s Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, researchers evaluated the safety, efficacy, and optimal dose of polyethylene glycol (PEG) for treatment of constipation in children younger than 18 months. PEG is an osmotic agent shown to have minimal systemic absorption.1 The medical records of 28 patients, who were less than 18 months old (range 7 weeks to 17 months, including 3 aged 0–5 months) and who were treated for constipation with PEG 3350 (trade name MiraLax) for an average of 6.2 months (range 3–21 months), were reviewed. Constipation, defined as 2 weeks of hard stools (the majority of stools), or firm stools 2 or fewer times per week, was relieved in 97.6% of treated patients at a mean effective maintenance dose of PEG 3350 of 0.78 g/kg/day. Side effects included increased . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Dean R. Focht, III, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH