
To determine the sensitivity of salivary pepsin compared with multichannel intraluminal impedance with pH testing (pH-MII), endoscopy, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) questionnaires.We prospectively recruited 50 children from Boston Children's Hospital who were undergoing pH-MII to evaluate for GERD. The patients completed 24-hour pH-MII testing, completed symptom and quality of life questionnaires, and provided a saliva specimen that was analyzed using the PepTest lateral flow test. A subset of patients also underwent bronchoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to determine the sensitivity of salivary pepsin compared with each reference standard.Twenty-one of the 50 patients (42%) were salivary pepsin-positive, with a median salivary pepsin concentration of 10 ng/mL (IQR, 10-55 ng/mL). There was no significant difference in the distributions of acid, nonacid, total reflux episodes, full column reflux, or any other reflux variable in patients who were pepsin-positive compared with those who were pepsin-negative (P > .50). There was no significant correlation between the number of reflux episodes and pepsin concentration (P > .10). There was no positive relationship between salivary pepsin positivity, any extraesophageal symptoms or quality of life scores, or inflammation on bronchoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (P > .30).Salivary pepsin measurement has a low sensitivity for predicting pathological gastroesophageal reflux in children.
Male, Esophageal pH Monitoring, Adolescent, Infant, Endoscopy, Sensitivity and Specificity, Pepsin A, Young Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, ROC Curve, Child, Preschool, Surveys and Questionnaires, Electric Impedance, Gastroesophageal Reflux, Quality of Life, Humans, Female, Prospective Studies, Child, Saliva
Male, Esophageal pH Monitoring, Adolescent, Infant, Endoscopy, Sensitivity and Specificity, Pepsin A, Young Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, ROC Curve, Child, Preschool, Surveys and Questionnaires, Electric Impedance, Gastroesophageal Reflux, Quality of Life, Humans, Female, Prospective Studies, Child, Saliva
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 55 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
