This test is useful for detecting H. pylori infection in children of all ages, and is a good alternative for screening studies in developing countries with elevated prevalence, due to its being fast, noninvasive, inexpensive, and easy to carry out.

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Background: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver with nonspecific clinical manifestations that causes greater liver damage in children than in adults. Aims: To analyze the clinical progression, biochemical profiles, histopathologic changes, and treatment response in 20 children with AIH. Material and methods: A retrospective study was carried out on the variables associated with clinical progression, diagnosis, and treatment response in children seen at the the Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad (UMAE) No. 71 IMSS in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, from 1992 to 2012. Results: Twenty patients were analyzed, 75% with type 1 AIH (AIH-1) and 25% with type 2 AIH (AIH-2). Girls predominated with a 3:1 ratio of girls to boys. The mean age was 10.07 ± 6.53 years for the AIH-1 cases and 6.75 ± 3.77 years for the AIH-2 cases. There was an association with immunologic diseases in 40% of the patients.The patients in the AIH-2 group had greater biochemical profile alterations and IgA deficiency. Anti-nuclear antibody and anti-smooth muscle antibody were positive in 100% of the patients with AIH-1, and anti-liver kidney microsomal type 1 antibody was positive in 100% of the AIH-2 patients. Liver biopsy revealed interface hepatitis in both groups. The AIH-2 group responded more quickly to treatment, but had a higher recurrence rate.Conclusions: Autoimmune hepatitis in the pediatric patient should be suspected in order to make an early diagnosis and thereby establish opportune treatment. Determining the type of AIH is necessary for making adequate diagnosis and for achieving a better outcome in relation to recurrence and complication rates. Hepatitis autoinmune en niños: evolución de 20 casos del norte de MéxicoResumen Antecedentes: La hepatitis autoinmune (HAI) es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica del hígado con manifestaciones clínicas inespecíficas y mayor daño hepático en niños que en adultos. Objetivo: Analizar la evolución clínica, los perfiles bioquímicos, los cambios histopatológicos y la respuesta al tratamiento de 20 niños con HAI. Material y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de las variables asociadas a evolución clínica, diagnóstico y respuesta al tratamiento en niños atendidos en la UMAE n. • 71 IMSS Torreón, Coahuila, México, en el período comprendido entre 1992 y 2012. Resultados: Se analizó a 20 pacientes, el 75% con HAI-1 y el 25% con HA1-2. Se observó predominio del sexo femenino 3:1. La edad promedio ± desviación estándar fue de 10.07 ± 6.53 años para HAI-1 y de 6.75 ± 3.77 para HAI-2. La asociación a enfermedades inmunológicas fue del 40%.Los pacientes del grupo HAI-2 mostraron mayores alteraciones en su perfil bioquímico y deficiencia de IgA. La positividad para anticuerpos antinucleares y anticuerpos antimúsculo liso fue del 100% en los pacientes con HAI-1, anticuerpos antimicrosomales para hígado y riñón tipo 1 en el 100% de HAI-2. Las biopsias hepáticas mostraron hepatitis de interfase en ambos grupos. Los pacientes del grupo HAI-2 respondieron más rápidamente al tratamiento...

The objective of this study was to analyze the histopathological patterns of inflammation, distribution, severity, and degree of gastric mucosa of Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-infected children in Northern Mexico, as well as the correlation between colonization density and inflammation intensity. We carried out a cross-sectional study of gastric biopsies performed on children ranging from 2 to 17 years of age who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for diverse gastroduodenal disorders. This study includes only children who were found to be Hp carriers, with positive results for tests of Hp antigens in feces and in gastric biopsy studies. We studied 107 patients (age 8.2 ± 3.7 years). In 47.7% of patients, the density of Hp colonization was low; only 21.5% had a marked density. Mononuclear leukocyte infiltration showed a similar distribution. Thirty-seven percent of patients had follicular gastritis. An acute inflammatory response was absent in 65% and mild in 20.6% of patients. When inflammation was present, it was primarily located in the antrum (79%). There were no cases of intestinal metaplasia or atrophy. A link was found between Hp density and age, infiltration by mononuclear cells, the presence of follicular gastritis, and the level of neutrophil infiltration (P  =  0.001). Despite the high rates of Hp infection in the region, the histopathological findings in these children were mild and were limited primarily to the antral mucosa. These data indicate the need to study the behavior of this disease in children in diverse study populations to provide localized prevention and treatment strategies.

Autoimmune hepatitis in the pediatric patient should be suspected in order to make an early diagnosis and thereby establish opportune treatment. Determining the type of AIH is necessary for making adequate diagnosis and for achieving a better outcome in relation to recurrence and complication rates.