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[24-hour esophageal pH in children]
A Lange1, J Bonde-Petersen, H V Middelfart
1Paediatrisk afdeling, Arhus Universitetshospital, Arhus Kommunehospital.
Insights
Gastroesophageal reflux is common in infants with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, often detected via 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. This study highlights reflux prevalence in symptomatic infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Neonatology
- Otolaryngology
Context:
- Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a common condition in infants.
- Diagnosing GER can be challenging, especially in infants presenting with non-specific symptoms.
- 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring is a key diagnostic tool.
Purpose:
- To investigate the prevalence of pathological gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in infants presenting with various symptoms.
- To correlate findings from 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring with clinical presentations in infants.
Summary:
- Continuous 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring was conducted on 89 infants.
- 74% of infants with respiratory symptoms and 71% with gastrointestinal symptoms showed pathological GER.
- Infants with unusual posturing had a lower prevalence (25%), and healthy infants had normal findings.
Impact:
- This study confirms that gastroesophageal reflux is prevalent in infants with both respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Findings support the utility of 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring in the diagnostic workup of symptomatic infants.
- Highlights the need for considering GER in the differential diagnosis of infant respiratory issues.
Abstract:
Continuous 24-hour esophageal pH-monitoring was performed in 89 infants. Of 38 patients with respiratory symptoms 74% were found to have a pathological 24-h pH monitoring. The same number of pathological monitorings (71%) were found in 38 patients with clinical symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux. We found pathological monitorings in only 25% of eight patients with unusual posturing and five healthy children all had normal monitorings. Gastrooesophageal reflux is common in children with clinical gastrointestinal symptoms as well as in children with respiratory symptoms.