PO-0132 Acid Reflux Into The Oesophagus And Exercise: A Prospective Study In Children

Abstract

<h3>Background and aims</h3> It has been reported that gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) can be induced by exercise, as described in adult subjects; studies in children are lacking. We sought whether the presence of acid in the oesophagus may increase with exercise and its potential relationship with atopy and lung function in children. <h3>Methods</h3> We recruited 45 patients (M/F: 30/15) aged 11 ± 2.7 years with reported exercise-induced respiratory symptoms; subjects were asked for frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms. All patients did lung function before and after 24-h gastro-oesophageal (GO) pH monitoring; they also underwent exercise testing (treadmill) before removing GO catheter. GO-pH was also analysed for 6 min intervals before, during and after exercise. The gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) was defined as a 24-hour reflux index (IR) ≥ 4.5% and/ or symptom index ≥ 50%. Total serum IgE levels were also assessed. <h3>Results</h3> GORD was found in 11/45 (24.4%) of our patients; these children had also a higher IR score during exercise than patients without GORD (7.1 ± 18.5 vs 0.5 ± 2.3, p &lt; 0.05). A fall of GO-pH was recorded during exercise, greater in children with GORD as compared with those without (17.2 ± 42.2 vs 0.9 ± 6.4, p = 0.03). The exercise-induced fall in GO-pH was associated with frequent gastrointestinal symptoms and correlated with IgE levels and baseline FEV₁% (IgE: r = -0.37, FEV1%: r = -0.31, p &lt; 0.05 for both). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Our results suggest that oesophageal acidity increase with exercise, particularly in atopic children with frequent gastrointestinal symptoms and low baseline respiratory function.