Gastroesophageal reflux and asthma in childhood: a study on their relationship using esophageal PH monitoring.

Objectives: This study aims at verifying the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux in asthmatic children, and at determining the sensitivity and specificity of the reflux index for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Methods: Sixty-nine children, aged 1-5 years, with asthma, were studied by 24-hour pH monitoring. The patients were randomly selected.