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Query: UMLS:C0017168 (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
 11,783 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Clinical experience shows that episodes of apnea can occur during regurgitations or vomiting. We questioned whether sleep apneas could be related temporally to documented falls in esophageal pH, when no clinical symptoms of emesis are witnessed. Twenty infants admitted after an apparently life-threatening event ('ALTE') during sleep, but with no clinical symptoms of vomiting or regurgitations at the time of the event, and ten control infants were studied. All infants had occasional episodes of regurgitations. Polygraphic monitoring of state of alertness, cardiorespiratory activity and low esophageal pH was performed continuously during 1 night. The data were analyzed blindly. A total of 334 central and 36 obstructive apneas were monitored, mainly in the ALTE group, during NREM sleep. A total of 116 falls in esophageal pH below 4 units were seen in 18 infants; 50% occurred during wakefulness, and 31% in REM sleep. Arousals or body movements preceded the pH fall in 50% of the cases. Within 5 min following the reflux onset, 18 central apneas (7.2% of the apneas) were seen. There was no correlation between the duration, or the lowest values of esophageal pH measured, and the number or duration of apneas. No obstructive apnea, bradycardia or arousal followed the falls in esophageal pH. Acid esophageal reflux did not play a significant role in the development of apnea in our population.
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PMID:Sleep apneas and acid esophageal reflux in control infants and in infants with an apparent life-threatening event. 232 98

To evaluate relationships between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and the development and onset of apparent life-threatening event(s) (ALTE), 16 infants presenting with ALTE and 6 control subjects manifesting clinical GER alone were studied using prolonged, esophageal pH monitoring in conjunction with simultaneous pulse oximetry and transthoracic impedance pneumocardiography. Despite the absence of a clinical vomiting history in 14 of 16 patients with ALTE, the incidence of GER was similar in both groups (patients with ALTE vs control subjects, 95% vs 100%). Significant arterial oxygen desaturation (less than 90% for greater than 3 minutes) was monitored during 60 episodes in 14 of 16 infants with ALTE, compared with no episodes of reduced arterial oxygen saturation in control subjects. Fifty-four of 60 of these desaturation events commenced within 3.9 +/- 0.4 minutes (mean +/- SD) of onset of a drop in esophageal pH to less than 4.0. Linear regression analysis indicates a significant correlation between duration of esophageal acidification and length of individual hypoxemic episodes (r = .39). Pneumocardiograms were normal in all patients. These data suggest that unsuspected GER is common in infants presenting with ALTE and, in these patients, GER may be directly associated with reflex hypoxemic episodes. Prolonged intraesophageal pH monitoring, performed simultaneously with evaluation for apnea, should be considered in all infants presenting with ALTE.
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PMID:Gastroesophageal reflux-induced hypoxemia in infants with apparent life-threatening event(s). 275 70

There are various identifiable diseases or conditions that can cause apparent life-threatening events (ALTE; e.g. gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and seizures). Nineteen infants with ALTE (mean age: 4.3 months) were brought to our hospital between June 1986 and August 1991. The causes of these ALTE were investigated. Analysis of laboratory data, radiological studies and esophageal function tests led to the diagnosis of GER in six of 19 infants; pertussis in five; upper respiratory infection in three; vagotonia-like condition with esophageal dysfunction in two; laryngostenosis with cerebral palsy in two; choking on food or drink in two; and epilepsy in one infant. Two cases (one case of pertussis and one of vagotonia-like condition) were associated with GER. Some of the cases demonstrate that ALTE in infants may be induced by GER or some esophageal dysmotility. Further studies of ALTE are needed to ascertain how frequently GER or esophageal dysmotility is responsible for ALTE.
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PMID:Etiology of 19 infants with apparent life-threatening events: relationship between apnea and esophageal dysfunction. 837 22

Fainting syncopal events are caused by a transient functional neuronal paralysis. Reflex syncope happens for brainstem involving mediated by peripherical afferents. Sometimes gastroesophageal reflux (GER) has been implicated in the development of obstructive apnea. Gastroesophageal reflux, despite the absence of a clinical history of vomiting and regurgitation, is observed in a significant proportion of infants presenting with ALTE (Apparent Life Threatening Event): an episode characterized by some combination of apnea, color change, marked change in muscle tone, choking or gagging. Though a cause-and-effect relationship between GER and the development of ALTE remains to be established a possible direct relationship between oesophageal acidification and the onset of alterations in cardiopulmonary function and impairment of consciousness can be hypothesized. We refer the case of two female infants that developed recurrent ALTE(s) characterized by paleness, change in muscle tone and loss of consciousness. The infants resulted affected respectively by a mild and severe gastroesophageal reflux (score: 40, > 50); in one case an episode of GER was recorded by the intraoesophageal pH-monitoring during a syncopal episode. The treatment with antiacid drugs was effectual and the infants did not present ALTE(s). The cases presented are in favour of a routine search of gastroesophageal reflux in infants presenting with one or recurrent ALTE(s). The identification of these infants will permitt to develop a correct strategy of treatment.
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PMID:[Syncopal fainting episodes and gastroesophageal reflux]. 866 87

OBJECTIVE: To verify the etiology and prognosis of ALTE in infancy and its possible relationship to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). METHODS: We studied a group of infants that presented ALTE episodes and were evaluated in our hospital. First we reviewed their clinical history and polysomnographies, then we sent a letter to the families with questions regarding the outcome. RESULTS: 56 patients were included. 92% had ALTE during their first 6 months and 83% in the first trimester. Symptomatic ALTE predominated (71%). The disease most frequently associated was gastroesophageal reflux, followed by neurological diseases. The follow up showed 51.5% of normal outcome, 4 children repeated ALTE, no cases of SIDS were registered. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that multifactorial etiologies can be associated to ALTE, and the outcome is generally related to the associated disease. We did not observe any relationship between ALTE and SIDS considering a predominantly symptomatic ALTE population.
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PMID:[Associated and prognosis in apparent life threatening events (ALTE)] 1468 65

Many infants with a repaired esophageal atresia (EA) undergo fundoplication, aortopexy, or glossopexy because the mechanisms most responsible for airway obstruction and/or apparent life-threatening event (AO/ALTE) syndrome are considered to be gastroesophageal reflux (GER), tracheal compression (TC), or obstructive apnea, respectively. In the present study, we investigated whether these mechanisms are independent or interrelated. We developed a database of 120 consecutive patients with EA treated by the senior author between 1967-2002. We studied the clinical manifestations of patients with a cervical esophagostomy and/or blind lower esophageal stump, which ruled out TC and/or proximal esophageal GER as a mechanism for AO/ALTE. Of 25 neonates who underwent section/ligation of lower tracheo-esophageal fistula and/or feeding gastrostomy, 10 critically ill neonates died. Of 15 survivors, 9 infants had a feeding gastrostomy without an esophagostomy. Of these, 6 infants presented one or more episodes of AO, and 8 presented ALTE with or without AO. Subsequently, 5 of the 9 infants underwent an esophagostomy. Eventually, 11 infants had a feeding gastrostomy with an esophagostomy. Of the latter, 5 infants presented one or more episodes of AO, and 6 presented ALTE without AO. In conclusion, oral feeding, proximal esophageal GER, and TC are not essential for AO/ALTE syndrome to occur. They are probably factors which offer evidence of an underlying problem with control of upper airway patency.
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PMID:Pathogenesis of apparent life-threatening events in infants with esophageal atresia. 1654 35

SIDS and ALTE are different entities that somehow show some similarities. Both constitute heterogeneous conditions. The Netherlands is a low-incidence country for SIDS. To study whether the same would hold for ALTE, we studied the incidence, etiology, and current treatment of ALTE in The Netherlands. Using the Dutch Pediatric Surveillance Unit, pediatricians working in second- and third-level hospitals in the Netherlands were asked to report any case of ALTE presented in their hospital from January 2002 to January 2003. A questionnaire was subsequently sent to collect personal data, data on pregnancy and birth, condition preceding the incident, the incident itself, condition after the incident, investigations performed, monitoring or treatment initiated during admission, any diagnosis made at discharge, and treatment or parental support offered after discharge. A total of 115 cases of ALTE were reported, of which 110 questionnaires were filled in and returned (response rate 97%). Based on the national birth rate of 200,000, the incidence of ALTE amounted 0.58/1,000 live born infants. No deaths occurred. Clinical diagnoses could be assessed in 58.2%. Most frequent diagnoses were (percentages of the total of 110 cases) gastro-esophageal reflux and respiratory tract infection (37.3% and 8.2%, respectively); main symptoms were change of color and muscle tone, choking, and gagging. The differences in diagnoses are heterogeneous. In 34%, parents shook their infants, which is alarmingly high. Pre- and postmature infants were overrepresented in this survey (29.5% and 8.2%, respectively). Ten percent had recurrent ALTE. In total, 15.5% of the infants were discharged with a home monitor. In conclusion, ALTE has a low incidence in second- and third-level hospitals in the Netherlands. Parents should be systematically informed about the possible devastating effects of shaking an infant. Careful history taking and targeted additional investigations are of utmost importance.
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PMID:Surveillance study of apparent life-threatening events (ALTE) in the Netherlands. 1954 71

Five years after the first edition, we have revised and updated the guidelines, re-examining the queries and relative recommendations, expanding the issues addressed with the introduction of a new entity, recently proposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics: BRUE, an acronym for Brief Resolved Unexplained Events. In this manuscript we will use the term BRUE only to refer to mild, idiopathic cases rather than simply replace the acronym ALTE per se.In our guidelines the acronym ALTE is used for severe cases that are unexplainable after the first and second level examinations.Although the term ALTE can be used to describe the common symptoms at the onset, whenever the aetiology is ascertained, the final diagnosis may be better specified as seizures, gastroesophageal reflux, infection, arrhythmia, etc. Lastly, we have addressed the emerging problem of the so-called Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse (SUPC), that might be considered as a severe ALTE occurring in the first week of life.
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PMID:Apparent Life-Threatening Events (ALTE): Italian guidelines. 2923 82