Exercise-induced gastroesophageal reflux in an athletic child

Exercise-induced gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is described in an athletic child with chronic abdominal pain and vomiting in conjunction with strenuous exercise. Although continuous 24-h pH probe monitoring was negative for GER, simultaneous pH probe and exercise stress testing (treadmill) showed a prolonged, continuous episode of acid reflux throughout exercise and the 30-min recovery phase. The authors are unaware of other cases of exercise-induced GER in children and suggest that simultaneous pH probe and exercise stress testing may be a useful technique to evaluate exercise-induced symptoms in children. Moreover, the presence of acid reflux during stress may warrant exercise restriction during the early management of reflux esophagitis.