Session 8: Health

Constipation in children with Down syndrome

• Prof Simon Gaisford, Professor of Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy
• June Rogers MBE, Retired Children's Bladder/Bowel Specialist Nurse, Consultant Practitioner to DSUK
• Nicola Enoch, CEO Down Syndrome UK, Vice Chair and Founding Officer National Down Syndrome Policy Group

Nicola Enoch: nicola.enoch@downsyndromeuk.co.uk

Prof Simon Gaisford of UCL approached DSUK in September 2021 to discuss research around the use of probiotics in treating constipation. Through Down Syndrome UK's highly successful toilet training program #pants4school, we were aware families with a child with Down syndrome were often not being supported or informed correctly around constipation and treatment of the condition. In this presentation June Rogers MBE who has worked with DSUK since 2019 will give an overview of the issues commonly faced by our community, Prof Gaisford will share the results from a ProDigest study – that provides mechanistic insight into how Symprove works in modulating bacterial diversity in the gut microbiotas of children with Down syndrome and Nicola Enoch the impact on the family for a child suffering from constipation.