A Cross-Sectional Study to Determine the Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Re?ux in Children with Persistent Cough and Wheezing

Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Children

Abstract

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) occurs in more than two-thirds of otherwise healthy infants and is the topic of discussion with pediatricians at one-quarter of all routine 6-month infant visits. GER is considered a normal physiologic process that occurs several times a day in healthy infants, children, and adults. GER is generally associated with transient relaxations of the lower esophageal sphincter independent  of swallowing, which permits gastric contents to enter the esophagus. The Objective to find out the prevalence of GER in children with cough and wheezing and its associated factors. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done at A tertiary care hospital at the Institute of Naval Medicine, INHS, Mumbai from August 2016 to December 2017. A total of 30 study subjects Aged between the age of one to twelve years with persistent cough and wheezing lasting for more than three months despite treatment were included for the study. Results: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in our study was 63.3%.The logistic regression analysis showed that Age, Height, Weight, BMI, duration of cough, Duration of asthma were not significantly associated with Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) (p>0.05). Conclusion: GER seems to have a high prevalence in children with chronic cough. However, no definite recommendations can be made regarding the management of such cases from our study.