Helicobacter pylori and recurrent pain abdomen.
OBJECTIVE
Pain abdomen is a common problem in childhood. Many factors i.e., organic changes in the gut, psychological and environment contribute to recurrent pain abdomen (RAP) in children. Helicobacter pylori infects children very early in childhood and stays indefinitely in the gut without its eradication. It may be responsible for pain abdomen and peptic ulcers in children. This study was done to assess the HP status in children with RAP diagnosed and evaluate the effects of eradication of HP infection in them.


METHODS
76 children were included in the study.


RESULTS
Out of 76 children studied 14.8% had evidence of a secondary cause for pain abdomen and responded to appropriate therapy. 65.45% of children who had undergone UGIE, had evidence of HP infection in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Most of these children responded to HP eradication therapy by becoming free of abdominal pain after the eradication therapy with OCA or OMA regimen. We could not do repeated endoscopies in all of them to prove the eradication due to parents' refusal and this is the main drawback of this study.


CONCLUSIONS
However, in view of clinical response to HP eradication therapy in almost all the cases, we strongly advocate this therapy for those children with RAP, in whom HP infection of the upper gastrointestinal tract can be established beyond doubt.
Biswal
Niranjan
N
Department of Pediatrics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India. nbiswal@jipmer.edu
Ananathakrishnan
N
N
Kate
Vikram
V
Srinivasan
S
S
Nalini
P
P
Mathai
Betsy
B
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D014510:Urease
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D014510:Urease; D009853:Omeprazole