Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease in sub-Saharan African Children

Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a physiologic, involuntary passage of gastric contents into the oesophagus and mostly occurs postprandial. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the involuntary retrograde movement of gastric contents across the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) into the oesophagus is associated with troublesome symptoms or complications. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been widely reported in developed countries. In a systematic literature review, the prevalence of GERD in children varies significantly, ranging from 23.1% to 40% in infants. The overall weekly prevalence of GERD symptoms in children under 10 years old was shown to be 3.2%, with rates ranging from 0.2% to 18.8% in children over the age of 10. The clinical presentation of GERD in children is mostly non-specific, but depends on the age of the child. It is therefore important to watch out for symptoms that are unusual and could be indicative of GERD. Children with prolonged, untreated GERD may present with varying complications which include failure to thrive, peptic oesophagitis, respiratory disease, dental erosions, and long-standing GERD in some children could lead to peptic strictures of the oesophagus, Barret’s oesophagus, and a precursor of adenocarcinoma in adults. Little is known about GERD in children in sub-Saharan Africa. This article reviews GERD in children in sub-Saharan Africa and to outline the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation in different age groups, and approach to diagnosis and treatment modalities. A search was conducted in PubMed, and African Journal online (AJOL) in June 2024.