title: The value of focally enhanced gastritis in the diagnosis of pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Focally enhanced gastritis (FEG) has been suggested as a diagnostic marker for patients with Crohn's disease. In this study we evaluated the prevalence of FEG in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and assessed the ability of FEG to distinguish IBD from non-IBD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of the children who underwent esophagogastroduodenal endoscopy (EGD) during 2004-2011 was performed, after excluding individuals with H. pylori infection and celiac disease. Two groups were studied: patients with IBD (IBD group, n=185) and non-IBD patients who underwent endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract for various abdominal complaints (non-IBD group, n=684). Relation of FEG to age and gender was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FEG was found significantly more frequently among children with IBD (35.7% vs 3.4%, respectively, p<0.001). Children with FEG were 15.4 times more likely to have IBD than to belong in the non-IBD group. All types of IBD had significantly higher frequencies of FEG compared to non-IBD individuals (Crohn's disease: 54.1%, ulcerative colitis: 21.6%, IBD unclassified: 18.4%, all three comparisons with the non-IBD group: p-values<0.001). FEG positivity was more common in females compared to males with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and in children younger than 2 years in the IBD-unspecified group. FEG achieved a sensitivity of 35.7% and specificity of 96.6% in distinguishing between IBD from non-IBD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FEG has significantly higher prevalence in children with IBD, particularly Crohn's disease and can be a valuable supporting finding in cases of indefinite diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Paediatrics, University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: kleonikiroka@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kleoniki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roka
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roma
authors.forename: Kalliopi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stefanaki
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Panayotou
authors.forename: Giannis
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kopsidas
authors.forename: Giorgos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chouliaras
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors