Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Outcomes of Hirschsprung’s Disease from the Perspective of Gender

Abstract EN

Background/Aim.

Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) has a skewed gender distribution, with a female to male ratio of 1 : 4.

This study aims to examine differences between boys and girls with HD regarding preoperative features and postoperative treatment and outcome.

Method.

The first part of the study was conducted as a retrospective review of all HD patients who underwent transanal endorectal pull-through (TERPT).

Pre-, peri-, immediate post-, and first-year postoperative data were collected.

The second part was conducted as an observational cross-sectional study by comparing bowel function scores (BFS) determined by structured interviews of patients 4 years old and older.

Results.

Included were 39 boys and 12 girls.

Of these, 25 boys and 9 girls were older than 4 years and participated in the BFS interview.

Boys had a higher frequency of hospitalizations during the first postoperative year compared to girls (n=20 and n=2, p<0.05).

At long-term follow-up, more boys reported abnormal frequency of defecation, 16 compared to 2 (p<0.05).

There was no difference between genders in terms of preoperative symptoms and overall bowel function later.

Conclusion.

Boys with HD had more hospitalizations and a higher rate of abnormal frequency of defecation than girls with HD.