how much is predictable with questionnaires, pH-metry, endoscopy and histology?
Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are common in infants. It is often difficult to discriminate between physiological and pathologic gastroesophageal reflux, although this discrimination is essential to determine which infants to evaluate and treat. OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence of reflux symptoms in infants and to evaluate the predictive value of a questionnaire and the correlation between pH study, histology and clinical score. METHODS: Parents of 100 unselected infants visiting the well-baby clinic and 100 infants suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease were asked to fill in a 35-item questionnaire. A validated score, the Orenstein I-GERQ, was applied for selected questions. All infants suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease underwent prolonged esophageal pH monitoring and 44 or 100 underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy with esophageal biopsy. RESULTS: Parents of infants with suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease repor
