Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: There has been a little attention to pediatrics esophagus problems until recent years. The term esoghagitis can be used to described chemical, infectious, inflammatory, ischemic, immunologic and degenerative abnormalities. Prevalence of reflux esophagitis varies between 2 to 5 percent of general population but little data about its incidence in pediatric age groups. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology and prevalence of esophagitis and study of symptom, diagnostic measures, therapeutic intervention and prevention of its complication.

Materials and Methods: In this prospective and cross sectional study 500 patient under16 years with upper digestive complaints or alteration of their state of health under went upper endoscopy, with special attention paid to esophagus.

Results: Among 500 children (205 male, 207 female), pathology reported esophagi is in 325 cases. Majority of the patient were 8 to12 years. Most common complaints was abdominal pain (45/7%) and the second complaints was vomiting (13%), but most common complaints in severe esophagitis was melena (66%) and hematemes(18/8%). Most of patient (63% ) had a mild grade of esophagitis. When difference between endoscopy and pathology compared: Mild esophagitis in endoscopy (67%) ,but in pathology was (63%), moderate esophagitis (14/7%) in endoscopy was (17%) in pathology and severe form 2/8% in endoscopy but (4/9%)in pathology.

Conclusion: According to results of our study in children age group with chronic abdominal pain ,vomiting ,excessive regurgitation, failure to thrive, we noticed that esophagitis is common etiologic factor. Histological esophagitis frequently occur in the absence of gross endoscopic findings and we need biopsy and histological examination to confirm diagnosis.