The document outlines the Paediatric Rome IV criteria developed for diagnosing functional gastrointestinal disorders in children and adolescents. It details various disorders such as infant colic, rumination syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome, providing specific diagnostic criteria for each. The Rome IV criteria emphasize a shift from a physiologically based classification to a symptom-based approach to improve diagnosis and treatment globally.

1. The Paediatric
Rome IV criteria
Dr. Maimuna Sayeed
MD, Phase-B Resident
Pediatric Gastroenterology &
Nutrition
BSMMU, Dhaka

2. The Rome process and Rome criteria are an
international effort to create scientific data to help in
the diagnosis and treatment of functional
gastrointestinal disorders.

3. Rome I: In 1994, Rome I was published as The Functional
Gastrointestinal Disorders: Diagnosis, Pathophysiology, and
Treatment—A Multinational Consensus.
Rome II: By the mid-1999s, the concept of FGID classification
and the use of diagnostic criteria was promoted. In Rome II,
the pediatric population of FGIDs was added.
Rome III: It differed from Rome I and II by the use of more
evidence-based rather than consensus-based data in 2006.
Rome IV: It was published in 2016 and tried to address the
limitations of a symptom-based criteria.

5. G
Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Neonates and toddlers

6. Childhood Functional Gastrointestinal
Disorders: neonate/Toddler
G1 Infant regurgitation
G2 Infant rumination syndrome
G3 Cyclic vomiting syndrome
G4 Infant colic
G5 Functional diarrhea
G6 Infant dyschezia
G7 Functional constipation

7. G1. Infant Regurgitation
Must include both of the following in otherwise
healthy infants 3 weeks to 12 months of age:
1. Regurgitation 2 or more times per day for 3 or more
weeks
2. No retching, hematemesis, aspiration, apnea, failure
to thrive, feeding or swallowing difficulties, or
abnormal posturing

8. G2. Rumination Syndrome
Must include all of the following for at least 2 months:
1. Repetitive contractions of the abdominal muscles,
diaphragm, and tongue
2. Effortless regurgitation of gastric contents, which are either
expelled from the mouth or re-chewed and re-swallowed
3. Three or more of the following:
a) Onset between 3 and 8 months
b) Does not respond to management for gastroesophageal reflux
disease and regurgitation
c) Unaccompanied by signs of distress
d) Does not occur during sleep and when the infant is interacting
with individuals in the environment
or to anticholinergic drugs, hand restraints,
formula changes, and gavage or gastrostomy
feedings
nausea

9. Must include all of the following:
1. Two or more periods of unremitting paroxysmal
vomiting with or without retching, lasting hours to
days within a 6-month period
2. Episodes are stereotypical in each patient
3. Episodes are separated by weeks to months with
return to baseline health between episodes of
vomiting
intense nausea
Return to usual state of health lasting
weeks to months
G3. Cyclic vomiting syndrome

10. G4. Infant Colic
For clinical purposes, must include all of the
following:
1. An infant who is <5 months of age when the
symptoms start and stop
2. Recurrent and prolonged periods of infant crying,
fussing, or irritability reported by caregivers that occur
without obvious cause and cannot be prevented or
resolved by caregivers
3. No evidence of infant failure to thrive, fever, or illness
in infants from birth to 4 months of age
1. Paroxysms of irritability, fussing or crying that starts and stops without obvious cause
2. Episodes lasting 3 or more hours/day and occurring at least 3 days/week for at least 1 week

11. G5. Functional Diarrhea
Must include all of the following:
1. Daily painless, recurrent passage of 4 or more large,
unformed stools
2. Symptoms last more than 4 weeks
3. Onset between 6 and 60 months of age
4. No failure to thrive if caloric intake is adequate
3
36
Passage of stools that occurs during waking hours

12. G6. Infant Dyschezia
Must include in an infant <9 months of age:
1. At least 10 min of straining and crying before
successful or unsuccessful passage of soft stools
2. No other health problems
6

13. G7. Functional Constipation
Must include 1 month of at least 2 of the following in
infants up to 4 years of age:
1. Two or fewer defecations per week
2. History of excessive stool retention
3. History of painful or hard bowel movements
4. History of large-diameter stools
5. Presence of a large fecal mass in the rectum
In toilet-trained children, the following additional criteria
may be used:
1. At least 1 episode/week of incontinence after the
acquisition of toileting skills
2. History of large-diameter stools that may obstruct the toilet

14. H
Functional gastrointestinal disorders
Child/Adolescent

15. Functional gastrointestinal disorders:
children and adolescents
H1 Functional nausea and vomiting disorders
H1a Cyclic vomiting syndrome
H1b Functional nausea and functional vomiting
H1c Rumination syndrome
H1d Aerophagia
H2 Functional abdominal pain disorders
H2a Functional dyspepsia
H2b Irritable bowel syndrome
H2c Abdominal migraine
H2d Functional abdominal pain − not otherwise specified
H3 Functional defecation disorders
H3a Functional constipation
H3b Non-retentive fecal incontinence

16. H1. Functional nausea and
vomiting disorders

17. H1a. Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
Must include all of the following:
1. The occurrence of two or more periods of intense,
unremitting nausea and paroxysmal vomiting, lasting
hours to days within a 6-month period
2. Episodes are stereotypical in each patient
3. Episodes are separated by weeks to months with
return to baseline health between episodes
4. After appropriate medical evaluation, the symptoms
cannot be attributed to another condition
Return to usual state of health lasting weeks to months
H1b

18. H1b. Functional Nausea and
Functional Vomiting

19. H1b1. Functional Nausea
Must include all of the following fulfilled for the last
2 months:
1. Bothersome nausea as the predominant symptom,
occurring at least twice per week, and generally not
related to meals
2. Not consistently associated with vomiting
3. After appropriate evaluation, the nausea cannot be
fully explained by another medical condition

20. H1b2. Functional Vomiting
Must include all of the following:
1. On average, one or more episodes of vomiting per
week
2. Absence of self-induced vomiting or criteria for an
eating disorder or rumination
3. After appropriate evaluation, the vomiting cannot be
fully explained by another medical condition

21. H1c. Rumination Syndrome
Must include all of the following:
1. Repeated regurgitation and re-chewing or expulsion
of food that
a) Begins soon after ingestion of a meal
b) Does not occur during sleep
2. Not preceded by retching
3. After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot be
fully explained by another medical condition. An
eating disorder must be ruled out
Criteria fulfilled for at least 2 months before
diagnosis.
H1a. Adolescent Rumination Syndrome
painless
do not respond to standard
treatment for
gastroesophageal reflux
the last 3 months with symptom onset
6

22. H1d. Aerophagia
Must include all of the following:
1. Excessive air swallowing
2. Abdominal distention due to intraluminal air which
increases during the day
3. Repetitive belching and/or increased flatus
4. After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot be
fully explained by another medical condition.
Criteria must be fulfilled for at least 2 months before
diagnosis.
H1c
at least once per week

23. H2. Functional abdominal pain
disorders

24. H2a. Functional Dyspepsia
Must include 1 or more of the following bothersome
symptoms at least 4 days per month:
1. Postprandial fullness
2. Early satiation
3. Epigastric pain or burning not associated with
defecation
4. After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot be
fully explained by another medical condition.
Criteria fulfilled for at least 2 months before
diagnosis.
all
Persistent or recurrent pain or discomfort centered
in the upper abdomen (above the umbilicus)
at least once per week

25. H2b. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Must include all of the following:
1. Abdominal pain at least 4 days per month associated with
one or more of the following:
a) Related to defecation
b) A change in frequency of stool
c) A change in form (appearance) of stool
2. In children with constipation, the pain does not resolve
with resolution of the constipation (children in whom the
pain resolves have functional constipation, not irritable
bowel syndrome)
3. After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot be fully
explained by another medical condition
Criteria fulfilled for at least 2 months before diagnosis.
two or more
at least once per week

26. H2c. Abdominal Migraine
Must include all of the following occurring at least
twice:
1. Paroxysmal episodes of intense, acute periumbilical,
midline or diffuse abdominal pain lasting 1 h or more
(should be the most severe and distressing symptom)
2. Episodes are separated by weeks to months.
3. The pain is incapacitating and interferes with normal
activities
4. Stereotypical pattern and symptoms in the individual
patient

27. 5. The pain is associated with 2 or more of the following:
a) Anorexia
b) Nausea
c) Vomiting
d) Headache
e) Photophobia
f) Pallor
6. After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot be
fully explained by another medical condition.
Criteria fulfilled for at least 6 months before
diagnosis.
two or more times
12

28. H2d. Functional Abdominal Pain-
NOS
Must be fulfilled at least 4 times per month and
include all of the following:
1. Episodic or continuous abdominal pain that does not
occur solely during physiologic events (e.g. eating,
menses)
2. Insufficient criteria for irritable bowel syndrome,
functional dyspepsia, or abdominal migraine
3. After appropriate evaluation, the abdominal pain
cannot be fully explained by another medical
condition
Criteria fulfilled for at least 2 months before
diagnosis
two or more times

29. H3. Functional defecation
disorders

30. H3a. Functional Constipation
Must include two or more of the following occurring
at least once per week for a minimum of 1 month
with insufficient criteria for a diagnosis of irritable
bowel syndrome:
1. Two or fewer defecations in the toilet per week in a
child of a developmental age of at least 4 years
2. At least 1 episode of fecal incontinence per week
3. History of retentive posturing or excessive volitional
stool retention
in a child with a developmental age of at least 4 years

31. 4. History of painful or hard bowel movements
5. Presence of a large fecal mass in the rectum
6. History of large diameter stools that can obstruct the
toilet
After appropriate evaluation, the symptoms cannot
be fully explained by another medical condition.
Criteria fulfilled at least once per week for at least 2 months prior to diagnosis

32. H3b. Non-retentive Fecal
Incontinence
At least a 1-month history of the following symptoms
in a child with a developmental age older than 4
years:
1. Defecation into places inappropriate to the
sociocultural context
2. No evidence of fecal retention
3. After appropriate medical evaluation, the fecal
incontinence cannot be explained by another medical
condition

33. Conclusion
• In Rome IV, the classification moved from a physiologically
based classification to a symptom-based classification.
• Some criteria have been simplified and cases not meeting
criteria for research can still be identified and treated.
• Global education on FGIDs help to understand and
characterize the cross-cultural differences in symptom
reporting.
• Provide translations into other languages.
• Creation of diagnostic algorithms for a functional GI
disorder diagnosis or other diagnosis.
• The classifications were based upon organ regions (i.e.
esophageal, gastroduodenal, bowel, biliary, anorectal).

34. Thank you