Abstract:

Objective

To investigate the characteristics of gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound and intestinal flora in children with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) manifested by chronic cough.

Methods

A retrospective selection was made of 258 children with chronic cough who visited Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital from April 2022 to April 2024.All of them underwent gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination, and 158 children with GERD were taken as the study group.According to DeMeester scores, the patients were divided into mild-to-moderate group (n=106) and severe group (n=52), 100 children without GERD were selected as the control group.The changes of His angle,abdominal esophageal length and intestinal flora in each group were compared, and Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound and intestinal flora characteristics and disease severity in GERD children with chronic cough.

Results

In the study group, the His angle of the children was larger than that of the control group, the length of the abdominal esophagus was shorter than that of the control group, the levels of Enterococcus and Escherichia coli were significantly higher than those of the control group, and the levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were significantly lower than those of the control group (all P<0.05).In the severe group, the His angle of the children was larger than that of the mild-to-moderate group, the length of the abdominal esophagus was shorter than that of the mild-to-moderate group, the levels of Enterococcus and Escherichia coli were significantly higher than those of the control group, and the levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were significantly lower than those of the mild-to-moderate group (all P<0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that His horn, Enterococcus and Escherichia coli were positively correlated with the severity of the disease in GERD children with chronic cough, while abdominal esophageal length, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were negatively correlated with the severity of the disease (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Among GERD children with chronic cough, the enlargement of His angle,the shortening of the abdominal esophagus and the imbalance of intestinal flora are all correlated with the severity of the disease.These indicators can provide important references for clinical intervention.

Key words: Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Chronic cough, Gastric contrast-enhanced ultrasound, Intestinal flora