[PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY: ORIGINS, PROBLEMS, AND PROSPECTS OF THE RESEARCH].

The nomenclature of digestive diseases in children was supplemented by the "new" diseases: of esophagus--gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus, Zenker's diverticulum; of stomach and duodenum--gastroduodenitis, peptic ulcer disease, polyps, ectopic pancreas in the stomach wall; of the intestine--jejunitis, ileocolitis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, bacterial overgrowth syndrome in the small intestine; of biliary tract--cholelithiasis, gallbladder cholesterosis, anomalies of the biliary tract; of pancreas--acute and chronic pancreatitis, annular pancreas (2). The features of gastrointestinal diseases in children experiencing the action of factors, not always positively affecting the growing organism, were established. These features include: presence of allergic background; high level of neuro-autonomous and psycho-emotional changes in modern children, not only in schoolchildren, but even in preschoolers; polymorbidity or a combination (syntropy) of lesions of the digestive system; adverse outcomes of certain diseases as chronization, complications development, and as a consequence--a high risk of disability in children; "rejuvenation" of certain diseases of the digestive system (cholelithiasis, gallbladder cholesterosis, Crohn's disease), typical for adults. It is important to emphasize the clinical and social importance of gastroenterological diseases in childhood. Axiomatic is that the origins of many diseases of the digestive organs in adults lie in childhood. Early manifestation of certain diseases such as peptic ulcer disease, gluten enteropathy, Crohn's disease, and others, significantly impact the quality of life of sick children and their parents. It is worth to emphasize high costs of medical and prophylactic (tertiary prevention) activities using the drugs of latest generations. All this causes problems in both applied and scientific pediatric gastroenterology.