Gastroesophageal reflux disease in children and adolescents: when and how to treat

Gastroesophageal reflux in children: an updated review

Background

Gastroesophageal reflux is a common disorder in pediatrics. Clinicians should be familiar with the proper evaluation and management of this condition.

Objective

To provide an update on the current understanding, evaluation, and management of gastroesophageal reflux in children.

Methods

A PubMed search was performed with Clinical Queries using the key term ‘gastroesophageal reflux’. The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews. The search was restricted to the English literature and the pediatric age group.

Results

Regurgitation is the most frequent symptom of gastroesophageal reflux and is present in nearly all cases. Gastroesophageal reflux occurs normally in infants, is often physiological, peaks at 4 months of age, and tends to resolve with time. Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when gastric contents reflux into the esophagus or oropharynx and produce troublesome symptom(s) and/or complication(s). A thorough clinical history and a thorough physical examination are usually adequate for diagnosis. When the diagnosis is ambiguous, diagnostic studies may be warranted. A combined esophageal pH monitoring and multichannel intraluminal esophageal electrical impedance device is the gold standard for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease if the diagnosis is in doubt. In the majority of cases, no treatment is necessary for gastroesophageal reflux apart from reassurance of the benign nature of the condition. Treatment options for gastroesophageal reflux disease are discussed.

Conclusion

In most cases, no treatment is necessary for gastroesophageal reflux apart from reassurance because the condition is benign and self-limiting. Thickened feedings, postural therapy, and lifestyle changes should be considered if the regurgitation is frequent and problematic. Pharmacotherapy should be considered in the treatment of more severe gastroesophageal reflux disease for patients who do not respond to conservative measures. Proton pump inhibitors are favored over H₂-receptor antagonists because of their superior efficacy. Antireflux surgery is indicated for patients with significant gastroesophageal reflux disease who are resistant to medical therapy.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children

BACKGROUND

Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER) and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are common in infants and children.

AIMS

To review the recent literature on GERD in children and to outline the approach to diagnosis and management.

METHODS

A literature search in PubMed was conducted with regard to the prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis and management of GER and GERD in children with special attention to low- and middle-income countries. Articles in English published during the last 25 years, the full text of which was available, were considered and the relevant information extracted.

RESULTS

Almost 50% of all healthy infants regurgitate at least once a day which peaks at 4 months of age and subsides by 12 months in 90% of cases. Conversely, the prevalence of GERD increases with age and, by adolescence, is similar to that in adults (20%). While GER in infancy does not require investigation or therapy, an empirical proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for 4-8 weeks is justified in older children with classical symptoms of GERD. There is no gold-standard investigation for GERD. In extra-oesophageal manifestations, a pH/impedance is useful and endoscopy in cases with oesophagitis. PPIs play a pivotal role in the management of GERD but have not been found useful in infants with GER. Anti-reflux surgery plays a minor role in GERD owing to the associated morbidity and high failure rate, especially in high-risk groups who most need it.

CONCLUSIONS

Unless there are warning features such as failure to thrive, haematemesis, abnormal posturing, choking/gagging or coughing while feeding, regurgitation in infancy need not be investigated. In older children and adolescents with typical reflux symptoms, empirical PPI therapy is justified. For extra-oesophageal manifestations, a pH/impedance study and endoscopy to detect oesophagitis are the investigations of choice. PPI is the mainstay of therapy in GERD, but not in GER.

Oral esomeprazole in Japanese pediatric patients with gastric acid-related disease: Safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics

BACKGROUND

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are widely used for the treatment of gastric acid-related disease, but they are not approved for use in children in Japan. To assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy (gastrointestinal symptom improvement) of PPI in Japanese pediatric patients with gastric acid-related disease, we conducted an 8 week, open-label, parallel-group, multicenter, phase I/III study of once-daily oral esomeprazole use.

METHODS

Japanese children, aged 1-14 years with gastric acid-related disease, were stratified by weight and age into five groups (10 patients/group) to receive esomeprazole as granules for suspension (10 mg) or capsules (10 mg or 20 mg) once daily.

RESULTS

Esomeprazole was absorbed and eliminated rapidly in all groups, with a median time to reach maximum plasma concentration of 1.47-1.75 h, an arithmetic mean terminal elimination half-life of 0.80-1.37 h, and a weight-correlated apparent total body clearance of 0.216-0.343 L/h/kg. Area under the plasma concentration-time curve during a dosage interval and maximum plasma drug concentration were generally higher in groups given a higher dose (20 mg) or with a lower age/weight, but also in patients identified as poor metabolizers on cytochrome P450 2C19 genotype. Most patients who had any upper gastrointestinal symptoms at baseline were asymptomatic at the end of the study. Thirty-three patients (66%) reported ≥1 adverse events, including three patients who reported serious adverse events not judged to be causally related to esomeprazole.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral esomeprazole, at 10 mg or 20 mg once daily, had a similar safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profile in Japanese pediatric patients to that previously seen in adults and Caucasian children.

Individualized medicine of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing in both developed and developing countries. GERD is divided into three subtypes, namely, erosive esophagitis, nonerosive reflux disease (NERD), and Barrett's esophagus. The etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and response to treatment of GERD invariably show high heterogeneity or significant individual difference, especially NERD and refractory GERD. On the other hand, advanced technology has currently provided a wide range of methods for the diagnosis and treatment of GERD patients; however, the long-term efficacy and quality of life of some patients are unsatisfactory. Therefore, each GERD patient needs a specialized management strategy aiming at his/her own condition, which is known as individualized medicine or personalized medicine. The goal of GERD treatment is to relieve the symptoms, while symptomatic remission is directly related to the quality of life. In other words, health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction may be reasonable criteria for GERD. In this paper, we will discuss the individualized medicine of GERD.

My child cannot breathe while sleeping: a report of three cases and review

BACKGROUND

Sudden breath-holding episodes during sleep in young children are potentially related to sudden infant death syndrome and other life-threatening events. Additionally, these episodes can negatively affect child's growth and development.

CASE PRESENTATION

Here, we present 3 cases of preschool children with similar paroxysmal nocturnal waking events associated with choking that had different etiologies (nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease, and parasomnia, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to take into consideration the fact that breath spells during sleep can occur as a rare manifestation of parasomnia due to gastroesophageal reflux or as a symptom of nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. Full video electroencephalography, polysomnography, and simultaneous gastric pH monitoring should be used for the differential diagnosis of sleep-related disorders, such as breath spells, in children.

Laparoscopic fundoplication in neonates and young infants: Failure rate and need for redo at a high-volume center

AIM OF THE STUDY

Present the outcomes of patients younger than 2years who underwent laparoscopic fundoplication, highlighting the failure rate and need for redo fundoplication.

METHODS

Retrospective review of patients <2years who underwent laparoscopic fundoplication between January 2009 and December 2014.

MAIN RESULTS

458 infants younger than 2years underwent laparoscopic fundoplication in the 6-year period (360 Nissen, 77 Toupet and 21 Thal fundoplications). Median age at surgery was 5 (1-23) months. Median follow-up was 3 (1-6) years. The conversion rate was 0.87% (4 of 458 cases). Patients did not undergo routine studies to assess the incidence of postoperative GER but were instead followed clinically. Failure of the fundoplication was determined when a patient was unable to gain weight and/or protect the airway while receiving gastric feedings because of GER. The failure rate in our experience was 2.6% (12 redo out of 458 cases [11/360 Nissen, 1/77 Toupet and 0/21 Thal]). All failed cases occurred because of migration of the fundoplication, confirmed preoperatively by a contrast study. Median time between the initial fundoplication and the redo was 13 (5-27) months. There were no failures within a contemporaneous group of 101 patients <2years who underwent open fundoplication.

CONCLUSION

The need for a redo fundoplication after a laparoscopic fundoplication was an uncommon event in our experience (12 of 458 cases). Our results contrast with published studies that report higher failure rates. Case volume per surgeon may explain in part the dissimilar results among studies.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Outcomes of fundoplication for paediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease

PURPOSE

Outcomes of fundoplication in children.

METHODS

In this monocentric retrospective study, chart review was performed on children who underwent fundoplication between 2006 and 2013. Outcomes were defined as the need for redo fundoplication and recommencement of anti-reflux medication (ARM) at 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

119 patients underwent fundoplication with a mean age of 4.76 years and 55.5% of these were male. At 6-month follow-up, 21 (17.6%) required redo fundoplication and 64 (53.8%) were recommenced on ARM. Post-operative complications occurred in 50 (42.2%) of children; 30% of those with complications had surgery at less than 1 year of age, and 36% had an associated comorbid condition. Neither being under the age of one nor associated comorbidity was significantly associated with a poor outcome. Concurrent gastrostomy was associated with a higher risk of being back on ARM at 6-month follow-up (p = 0.003). Neither gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms pre-surgery nor abnormal pre-operative investigations including pH monitoring and endoscopy were predictive of poor outcome post-fundoplication.

CONCLUSION

Although fundoplication has a role in the treatment of severe GORD in children, the majority of children in this study needed to restart their anti-reflux medications within 6 months of surgery.

Pharmacogenomic testing: the case for CYP2C19 proton pump inhibitor gene-drug pairs

The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux and related diseases is increasing, especially in the pediatric population. Prolonged use of PPIs has been associated with several adverse effects, including potentially life-threatening gastric and respiratory infections, which are related to dose or to the degree of gastric acid suppression. Genetic variation in the CYP2C19 gene gives rise to poor and extensive metabolizer phenotypes, which influence PPI clearance, efficacy and exposure. A recent paper linked lansoprazole-associated respiratory infections in children with the poor metabolizer phenotype. The case is made for implementing pharmacogenomic testing for the CYP2C19-PPI gene-drug pair and to dose accordingly in order to minimize PPI-associated infections.

Gastroesophageal reflux in the 21st century

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) remains a common, challenging problem for clinicians, with differentiation of normal development from disease a particular issue. This review updates clinicians on advances in diagnosis of GER, relationship to other problems, and current practice in management.

RECENT FINDINGS

Development and understanding of multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring has given insights into the relationship of GER to symptoms. Medical treatment has changed little. Avoidance of overmedicalizing normal development is the major issue for clinicians. Laparoscopic fundoplication is established as equivalent to open fundoplication. Newer endoscopic techniques have only limited use in children to date.

SUMMARY

Major changes in pediatric GER relate to understanding of physiology and relationship of GER to symptoms. The major challenge for clinicians involve differentiation of normal from abnormal GER, and applying the most relevant management.