The clinical manifestations of peptic esophagitis in children

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical spectrum of peptic esophagitis during childhood. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical histories of 445 cases of peptic esophagitis, diagnosed by means of endoscopy or biopsy, in children between 1 month and 14 years of age were reviewed in order to analyze the reasons for endoscopy and the clinical symptoms presented. RESULTS: In the group under 2 years of age, the main symptom was vomiting, while in those between 2 and 6 years old it was also vomiting followed by abdominal pain. However, there was no significant difference between the groups. In the group over 6 years old, the chief complaint was abdominal pain with a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: 1) We found a statistically significant relationship between age and clinical data. 2) After comparing the grades of esophagitis with clinical symptoms and the age of the patient, no statistical correlation was found. 3) There is a high frequency of esophagitis I because of an early diagnosis.