[Study of the esophageal function by prolonged intraluminal pH-metry in patients with gastroesophageal reflux and respiratory manifestations].

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) can be found in a high number of patients with respiratory tract disease (RTD). In the present study a 24 hours esophageal pH monitoring was performed in 55 children. 15 of them were normal controls, 16 patients with GER but normal score, 14 patients with GER and RTD and 9 patients with GER and only digestive symptoms. The number of reflux episodes of more than 5 minutes, the duration of the longest single reflux episode, the percentage of time the esophageal pH was less than 4, the reflux/hour index and the clearance index were measured. Comparing the results of the different groups we found that normal controls and normal vomiting patients were significatively different. Refluxers and refluxers with RTD also were different of asymptomatic controls. The main significative differences founded comparing refluxers and refluxers with RTD were the duration of the longest single reflux, the percentage of time the esophageal pH was less than 4 and the clearance index. All these parameters were longer in the refluxers with RTD. Our conclusion is that esophageal clearance is slower in the group of refluxers with RTD and that this index is helpful to distinguish them from the single refluxers.