Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric Esophagitis in Southern Iran: A Single Center Experience

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Student of Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of pediatric esophagitis in southern Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during a 4-year period from 2008 to 2012 in Nemazee hospital, a tertiary healthcare center in Shiraz, southern Iran. We consecutively included all the pediatric patients (< 18 years) who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy in our center and had pathology-confirmed diagnosis of esophagitis. Data, regarding the patients' demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and clinical findings, were recorded using a questionnaire. All the patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy of the esophagus and the findings were recorded in the questionnaire.Findings: We studied 125 children among whom, there were 61 (48.8%) girls and 64 (51.2%) boys with the mean age of 6.6 ± 5.5 years. Repeated vomiting was the prominent symptom in our series being reported by 75 (60%) patients, followed by fever in 35 (28%). Erythema (33.6%), esophageal ulcer (11.2%), and whitish patch (8.0%) were the most common endoscopic findings while reflux esophagitis (32.8%), chronic (6.4%) and acute esophagitis (5.6%), and candida esophagitis (5.6%) were the most common histological diagnoses. Just, 1 (0.8%) patient was diagnosed as having eosinophilic esophagitis, aspergillosis, and graft versus host disease.Conclusion: Reflux is the most common cause of esophagitis in the pediatric population of southern Iran. Despite previous reports, the prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis is far less than estimated while the prevalence of opportunistic infections is higher secondary to post-liver transplantation immunosuppression.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 32, Issue 289 - Serial Number 289
May and June 2014
Pages 871-878

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History

  • Receive Date: 03 August 2013
  • Revise Date:
  • Accept Date: 06 April 2022

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