Peptic ulcer disease in children

Abstract

Background Data on peptic ulcers in childhood are insufficient. The aim of this study is to define the frequency and characteristics of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) in children and to compare with PUD due to H.pylori infection and the others.Methods Pediatric patients that underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy between July 2008 and July 2019 were examined. Age, gender, clinical presentation, location of peptic ulcer (PU), presence of H.pylori histopathologically and hemoglobine values were recorded for each paient with PUD from the hospital file records. Patients were divided into two groups as patients with PUD associated H.pylori and patients with PUD associated with other etiologies. Then two groups were compared.Results Sixty (0.98%) of 6216 patients were diagnosed with PUD. Sixty patients comprised 32 (53.3%) male and 28 (46.6%) female with a mean age of 10.59±4.89 years. The most common complaint was abdominal pain (n=40; %60.6). H.pylori was detected in 12 (20%) of 60 patients histopathologically. There was no difference between two groups for age, gender, clinical presentation, anemia or location of PU.Conclusion PUD is a rare disorder in childhood. There is no difference between H.pylori related PUD and the others for clinical presentation, anemia or location of PU. For the discrimination of two groups, biopsy should be taken in all patients.