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Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) levels in children with reflux esophagitis
Y Elitsur1, W E Triest, C H Lin
1Department of Pediatrics, Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 25701-0195.
Insights
Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity is elevated in children with moderate to severe reflux esophagitis. This finding suggests ODC may serve as a marker for esophageal inflammation severity in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Molecular Markers
- Esophageal Pathology
Background:
- Reflux esophagitis is common in infants and can lead to serious complications in adults.
- Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is an established marker for colon cancer.
- The role of ODC in pediatric reflux esophagitis is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in pediatric patients with reflux esophagitis.
- To determine if ODC levels correlate with the severity of esophageal inflammation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of esophageal biopsies from pediatric patients.
- Patients categorized into normal mucosa, mild esophagitis, and moderate/severe esophagitis groups.
- Measurement of Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity.
Main Results:
- ODC levels were significantly higher in patients with moderate/severe esophagitis compared to those with mild esophagitis or normal mucosa.
- No patients in the study had esophageal metaplasia or cancer.
- ODC activity showed a direct correlation with the degree of esophageal inflammation.
Conclusions:
- Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity is elevated in pediatric reflux esophagitis.
- ODC levels are proportional to the severity of esophageal inflammation and regeneration.
- ODC may be a useful biomarker for assessing inflammation in pediatric reflux esophagitis.
Abstract:
Reflux esophagitis is a common disease in infants and can be diagnosed largely by esophageal biopsy. In adults, chronic esophagitis may lead to Barrett's esophagus, a premalignant condition for esophageal cancer development. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is used as an early marker for colon cancer development. No data are available on the role of ODC in reflux esophagitis in the pediatric population. In this study we retrospectively analyzed ODC activity in esophageal biopsies of children who underwent upper endoscopy. According to the esophageal histology, patients were divided into three groups: normal mucosa, mild, and moderate/severe esophagitis. None of our patients had esophageal metaplasia or cancer. ODC level was significantly higher in the moderate/severe esophagitis group compared to mild and normal mucosa group. We conclude that ODC activity is directly proportional to the severity of the esophageal inflammation/regenerative process in children with reflux esophagitis.