Baseline characteristics of children with nonspecific colicky abdominal pain randomized to receive hyosine butylbromide or acetaminophen
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients* | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyoscine butylbromide n = 120 | Acetaminophen n = 116 | |
| Female sex | 79 (65.8) | 74 (63.8) |
| Age, mean ± SD, yr | 12.5 ± 3.1 | 12.4 ± 2.9 |
| Duration of pain before enrolment, median (IQR), h | 2 (0.5 to 5) | 1.8 (0.5 to 4.8) |
| Received analgesia before enrolment† | ||
| Acetaminophen | 13 (10.8) | 9 (7.8) |
| Ibuprofen | 20 (16.7) | 24 (20.7) |
| Ketorolac | 2 (1.7) | 4 (3.4) |
| Received antiemetic in emergency department before enrolment‡ | 28 (23.3) | 23 (19.8) |
| Received antacid in emergency department before enrolment§ | 2 (1.7) | 2 (1.7) |
| Comorbidities¶ | ||
| None | 70 (58.3) | 72 (62.1) |
| Gastrointestinal | 13 (10.8) | 12 (10.3) |
| Gastritis | 1 (0.8) | 2 (1.7) |
| Functional abdominal pain | 8 (6.7) | 6 (5.2) |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.9) |
| Recurrent abdominal pain of childhood | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.7) |
| Gastroesophageal reflux | 2 (1.7) | 1 (0.9) |
| Functional dyspepsia | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Psychiatric | 24 (20.0) | 15 (12.9) |
| Anxiety | 10 (8.3) | 10 (8.6) |
| Depression | 3 (2.5) | 3 (2.6) |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder | 5 (4.2) | 0 (0.0) |
| Learning disability | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Eating disorder | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | 5 (4.2) | 1 (0.9) |
| Otolaryngologic | 9 (7.5) | 9 (7.8) |
| Recurrent otitis media | 2 (1.7) | 4 (3.4) |
| Obstructive sleep apnea | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Environmental allergies | 2 (1.7) | 3 (2.6) |
| Recurrent tonsillitis | 2 (1.7) | 2 (1.7) |
| Hearing impairment | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Branchial cleft cyst | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Urologic | 2 (1.7) | 3 (2.6) |
| Recurrent urinary tract infections | 2 (1.7) | 2 (1.7) |
| IgA nephropathy | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Orthopedic | 4 (3.3) | 1 (0.9) |
| In-toeing | 2 (1.7) | 1 (0.9) |
| Scoliosis | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Osteochondritis dessecans | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Endocrinologic | 4 (3.3) | 2 (1.7) |
| Turner syndrome | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.9) |
| Short stature | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.9) |
| Menorrhagia | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Type I diabetes mellitus | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Ophthalmologic | 0 (0.0) | 3 (2.6) |
| Strabismus | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.7) |
| Carotid ophthalmic aneurysm | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Neurologic: migraine | 2 (1.7) | 1 (0.9) |
| Respiratory: asthma | 5 (4.2) | 2 (1.7) |
| Hematologic: thalassemia | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Other | 0 (0.0) | 3 (2.6) |
| Fibromyalgia | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Chronic fatigue | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Maple syrup urine disease | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.9) |
Note: IgA = immunoglobulin A, IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation.
↵* Except where noted otherwise.
↵† A single dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen was administered before the emergency department visit and at least 6 hours before the intervention. Ketorolac was administered Intravenously in the emergency department 2.8 to 4.3 hours before the intervention in all cases.
↵‡ Ondansetron in all cases.
↵§ Pantoprazole or orally administered mixture of bismuth salicylate and viscous lidocaine.
↵¶ Some participants had more than 1 comorbidity; diagnoses were obtained by self-report and from the medical record.