title: Is There any Association Between Passive Smoking and Esophagitis in Pediatrics?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is one of the major factors of predisposing children to develop several hazardous health problems. We decided to investigate the association between nicotinine, one of the nicotine metabolites and esophagitis in children with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a case control study 46 children suffering from esophagitis referred to endoscopy ward were recruited. The control group consisted of 45 healthy children. Urine samples were collected and urinary cotinine level (UCL) measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of esophagitis and control groups were 5.11±2.93 and 6.72±2.8 respectively. Sixty children were passive smokers; 31 of them had non-smoker parents. In control group, 32 (71.1%) children and in esophagitis group 29 (63%) children had non-smoker parents. The mean value of UCL in patients suffering from esophagitis was significantly higher than those in normal group (P=0.04, 24.98±6.4 ng/ml vs. 15.16 ± 3.9 ng/ml). Considering 50ng/ml as a cutoff point for UCL, it was significantly higher in passive smoker group than in non smoker group (P=0.02). The mean cotinine level differed significantly in esophagitis and control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate the increased risk of developing esophagitis in children with ETS exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Children's Medical Center, Pediatric Center of Excellence, Tehran, Iran ; Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monajemzadeh
authors.forename: Mohammad-Taghi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Haghi-Ashtiani
authors.forename: Roohallah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soleymani
authors.forename: Sedigheh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shams
authors.forename: Shayandokht
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taleb
authors.forename: Farzaneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Motamed
authors.forename: Mehri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najafi
authors.forename: Ata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbasi
keywords: Children; Cotinine; Esophagitis; Passive Smoking