Background: Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is often considered as the first-line treatment for functional constipation in children.
Descurainia sophia
(L.) Webb et Berth (
D. sophia) is a safe recommended medicine in Iranian folk and Traditional Persian Medicine for the treatment of constipation.
Objectives: To clinically compare
D. sophia with PEG 4000 (without electrolyte) in pediatric constipation and to assess its efficacy and side effects.
Patients and Methods: 120 patients aged 2 - 12 years with constipation for at least 3 months were included in an 8 weeks lasting randomized controlled trial within two parallel-groups. Children received either PEG, 0.4 g/kg/day, or
D. sophia seeds, 2 grams (for children aged 2 - 4 years) and 3 grams (for those aged > 4 years) per day.
Results: A total of 109 patients completed the study (56 in
D. sophia and 53 in PEG group). At the end of the study, 36 (64.3%) patients in
D. sophia group and 29 (54.7%) in PEG group were out of Rome III criteria (P = 0.205). Median weekly stool frequency in 0, 1, 2, 3 weeks of the treatment was found to be 2, 5, 5, 5 in
D. sophia and 3, 4, 4, 5 in PEG group (P = 0.139, 0.076, 0.844, 0.294), respectively. The number of patients who suffered flatulence was less (5, 8.9%) in
D. sophia group as compared to PEG group (6, 11.3%) at the end of the trial (P = 0.461).
D. sophia taste was less tolerated.
Conclusions: D. sophia is introduced as a cheap and available medication which can be applied as a safe alternative to conventional PEG in the management of pediatric chronic functional constipation.
