Peptic ulcer disease in children

A case report of a gastric ulcer in a 2.5-month-old infant in Syria: Helicobacter pylori and Aspirin as possible causes

A gastric ulcer is a tear in the stomach lining that manifests as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss. Its occurrence is lesser in children as compared to adults and its incidence in children ranges between 2% and 8%. Helicobacter pylori and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most common causes of gastric ulcers. In our case, we report a 2.5-month-old male who presented with severe pallor, hematemesis, and melena with normal weight gain. The patient's mother was infected with COVID-19 a month ago and recovered within 5 days but kept using aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for a month during breastfeeding. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a gastric ulcer and the Helicobacter pylori antigen was positive in the biopsy. A COVID-19 infection was detected later in the patient. The patient was administered proton pump inhibitor, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin for Helicobacter pylori antigen and symptomatic treatment for COVID-19. This case report shows that a stomach ulcer can appear in infancy, but opportune interventions such as timely diagnosis and treatment can solve the problem. It also marks the pathophysiological connection between Helicobacter pylori and gastric ulcer.

Child with Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain is one of the common symptoms reported by children in urgent care clinics. While most children tend to have self-limiting conditions, the treating pediatrician should watch out for underlying serious causes like intestinal obstruction and perforation peritonitis, which require immediate referral to an emergency department (ED). Abdominal pain may be secondary to surgical or non-surgical causes, and will differ as per the age of the child. The common etiologies for abdominal pain presenting to an urgent care clinic are acute gastro-enteritis, constipation and functional abdominal pain; however, a variety of extra-abdominal conditions may also present as abdominal pain. Meticulous history taking and physical examination are the best tools for diagnosis, while investigations have a limited role in treating benign etiologies.

Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Children: The Role of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Use

OBJECTIVE

To study the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Helicobacter pylori infection in the aetiology of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in children.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

One hundred and eighty-eight patients (82 girls, 106 boys; mean age 8.43 ± 5.24 years), admitted to the paediatric gastroenterology unit because of UGIB and who underwent endoscopic examination, were studied from their medical records, retrospectively.

RESULTS

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding was observed in 188 (8.29%) of 2266 patients. The mucosal causes related to the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum were found at the rate of 37%, 58% and 24.5%, respectively with endoscopic examination. The location of bleeding could not be determined in 14.4% of the patients. History of drug intake before admitting to hospital was present in 40 patients (21.3%). When we examined these forty patients, 35% were on acetylsalicylic acid, 47.5% were on ibuprofen and 17.5% were on NSAIDs. Ibuprofen versus acetylsalicylic acid usage was found to be highly significant (p < 0.05) for UGIB. Helicobacter pylori was found in 20.7% of the patients. The relationship between H pylori and UGIB was not found statistically significant (p > 0.05). The relationship between drug intake and presence of H pylori infection was not found significant in our patients (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid intake were found significant in the aetiology of UGIB in children. There was no significant connection with Helicobacter pylori infection in children with UGIB. We did not find a significant relationship with drug intake and H pylori infection.

The role of Helicobacter pylori in children with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Recent reports have suggested that Helicobacter pylori infection may be a causative agent of adult chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP) and antimicrobial treatment may increase platelet counts. As there is limited experience in pediatric age, we investigated the prevalence of H. pylori infection and the effects of H. pylori eradication therapy in a series of children with cITP. Twenty-four children with cITP were investigated for H. pylori infection using the C-urea breath test or H. pylori fecal antigen. In cases of H. pylori infection, antimicrobial treatment was given with amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and proton pump inhibitors. Response was assessed at 6 months and defined as complete (platelet count >150x10/L) or partial (platelet count between 50 and 150x10/L). H. pylori infection was found in 8 patients (33%) and 3 of them showed a response after eradication therapy, but 2 of them relapsed later on. Two patients had a spontaneous increase in platelet count in the group of H. pylori-negative patients. Given that spontaneous improvements in platelet count can occur in children with cITP, we were unable to demonstrate that H. pylori plays a major role in cITP occurring in pediatric age.