Helicobacter pylori infection and reflux esophagitis in children with chronic asthma.
BACKGROUND
Reflux esophagitis is uncommon in countries in which most people are colonized by H. pylori infection and is extremely rare in persons with reflux esophagitis, although esophagitis is detected in almost 50% of children with recurrent lower respiratory tract symptoms.


OBJECTIVE
Failure to acquire H. pylori can enhance esophagitis risk in children with chronic asthma.


METHODS
Forty-two pediatric out-patients with chronic asthma (mean age 13.2 +/- 1.18 years, range 12-15 years, 23 boys and 19 girls) were included in the study. They had undergone endoscopy with gastric and esophageal biopsies for upper dyspeptic complaints. H. pylori positivity was confirmed by positive Giemsa staining. Esophagitis was diagnosed by standard histologic procedure (presence of intraepithelial leukocytes or basal cell hyperplasia).


RESULTS
H. pylori colonization was detected histologically in 22 of 42 patients (52.4%) enrolled in the study. Histology demonstrated that in asthmatic children with evidence of H. pylori infection esophagitis was a dramatically rare finding than in the patients without the infection (P < 0.001). It was an unexpected finding, that lung function parameters (FEF50, FEF75) were significantly lower in asthmatics infected with H. pylori (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings suggest inverse association between esophagitis and H. pylori in course of asthma in pediatric patients.
Nijevitch
Alexander A
AA
Outpatient Department, Children's Republican Hospital, PO Box 4894, Ufa-57, 450057 Russia. emil@ufanet.ru
Loguinovskaya
Valentina V
VV
Tyrtyshnaya
Ludmila V
LV
Sataev
Valery U
VU
Ogorodnikova
Irina N
IN
Nuriakhmetova
Anisa N
AN
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests