Is there a relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and erosive reflux disease in children?
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and erosive reflux disease in children.


METHODS
A total of 206 children [mean age 8.4 +/- 4.9 (0.16-18) years] who underwent diagnostic upper endoscopy were tested for H. pylori infection between 2002 and 2005 and the relationship between H. pylori infection and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease was investigated retrospectively. Endoscopic and histopathological findings were examined retrospectively. When reflux-related oesophageal damage was identified as a result of the histological examination of endoscopic biopsy samples collected from distal oesophagus, the patients were diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and divided into two groups: those with macroscopic erosions or ulceration constituted the erosive oesophagitis group; those without constituted the non-erosive reflux disease group.


RESULTS
Prevalence of H. pylori infection was 31.3% in the patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and 36.7% in the control group (p > 0.05). Prevalence of erosive oesophagitis was found to be 23.8% in the patients with H. pylori infection and 41.3% in those without (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
No negative significant association was found between the prevalence of H. pylori infection and erosive oesophagitis. Presence of H. pylori infection did not influence the severity of oesophagitis either.
Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul School of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. haldunemiroglu@hotmail.com
Halil Haldun
HH
Emiroglu
Semra
S
Sokucu
Ozlem Durmaz
OD
Suoglu
Mine
M
Gulluoglu
Selim
S
Gokce
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology