Objective: To describe an adolescent with pathologic aerophagia, a rare condition caused by excessive and inappropriate swallowing of air and to review its treatment and differential diagnoses. Case description: An 11-year-old mentally impaired blind girl presenting serious behavior problems and severe developmental delay with abdominal distension from the last 8 months. Her past history included a Nissen fundoplication. Abdominal CT and abdominal radiographs showed diffuse gas distension of the small bowel and colon. Hirschsprung's disease was excluded. The distention was minimal at the moment the child awoke and maximal at evening, and persisted after control of constipation. Audible repetitive and frequent movements of air swallowing were observed. The diagnosis of pathologic aerophagia associated to obsessive---compulsive disorder and developmental delay was made, but pharmacological treatment was unsuccessful. The patient was submitted to an endoscopic gastrostomy, permanently opened and elevated relative to the stomach. The distention was resolved, while maintaining oral nutrition. Comments: Pathologic aerophagia is a rare self-limiting condition in normal children exposed to high levels of stress and may be a persisting problem in children with psychiatric or neurologic disease. In this last group, the disease may cause serious complications. Pharmacological and behavioral treatments are ill-defined. Severe cases may demand surgical strategies, mainly decompressive gastrostomy. Aerofagia patológica: uma causa rara de distensão abdominal crônica ResumoObjetivo: Descrever o caso de uma adolescente com aerofagia patológica, uma doença rara causada pela deglutição excessiva e inapropriada de ar, e revisar o tratamento e os diagnósticos diferenciais. Descrição do caso: Menina de 11 anos portadora de retardo mental e cegueira, apresentava problemas comportamentais associados a retardo do desenvolvimento, foi consultada por distensão abdominal persistente por oito meses. Sua história pregressa incluía uma fundoplicatura à Nissen. Tomografia e radiografias abdominais mostravam distensão difusa do trato digestivo por ar, incluindo cólon e delgado. Doença de Hirschsprung foi excluída. A distensão persistiu mesmo após o controle da constipação e era mínima de manhã e máxima à noite. Ruídos audíveis e repetitivos de deglutição de ar foram observados e auscultados. A criança foi tratada farmacologicamente com o diagnóstico de aerofagia patológica associado a distúrbio obsessivo compulsivo, sem sucesso. A paciente foi submetida a gastrostomia descompressiva endoscopia e manteve nutrição oral. Comentários: A aerofagia patológica é uma doença rara e autolimitada em crianças, mas pode ser um problema grave e persistente naquelas com problemas neuropsiquiátricos, nas quais pode causar complicações sérias. Os tratamentos comportamentais e farmacológicos têm pouco sucesso nesse grupo. Casos graves podem precisar de tratamento cirúrgico, principalmente gastrostomia descompressiva.

Objective:To describe an adolescent with pathologic aerophagia, a rare condition caused by excessive and inappropriate swallowing of air and to review its treatment and differential diagnoses.Case description:An 11-year-old mentally impaired blind girl presenting serious behavior problems and severe developmental delay with abdominal distension from the last 8 months. Her past history included a Nissen fundoplication. Abdominal CT and abdominal radiographs showed diffuse gas distension of the small bowel and colon. Hirschsprung's disease was excluded. The distention was minimal at the moment the child awoke and maximal at evening, and persisted after control of constipation. Audible repetitive and frequent movements of air swallowing were observed. The diagnosis of pathologic aerophagia associated to obsessive-compulsive disorder and developmental delay was made, but pharmacological treatment was unsuccessful. The patient was submitted to an endoscopic gastrostomy, permanently opened and elevated relative to the stomach. The distention was resolved, while maintaining oral nutrition.Comments:Pathologic aerophagia is a rare self-limiting condition in normal children exposed to high levels of stress and may be a persisting problem in children with psychiatric or neurologic disease. In this last group, the disease may cause serious complications. Pharmacological and behavioral treatments are ill-defined. Severe cases may demand surgical strategies, mainly decompressive gastrostomy.