C HALLEN GES IN PEDIATR IC REFLUX ADVICE TO THE PRACT IT IONER Asthma and GERD

There are a number of other extra-esophageal manifestations of GERD that have been observed in children which are based on epidemiological associations. For example, Rudolph et al documented a 61% prevalence of GERD in children with persistent asthma using data from 13 Different case-series and single center studies (668 patients). The diagnosis of GERD in all of the studies reviewed were based on abnormal pH studies. Furthermore, of those children with persistent asthma and abnormal esophageal pH studies, 50% had no “typical” symptoms of GERD.