Introduction:

The study of short stature of digestive origin in children shows no pre-established laboratory patterns. However, endoscopy of the digestive tract may be a useful tool for this purpose.

Objective:

To report a series of cases of children with a diagnosis of short stature who underwent upper digestive tract endoscopy as part of their study.

Case report:

15 children between the ages of 2 and 16 years were included; 53.3 % were girls. 26.7 % presented with malnutrition according to their body mass index and height-for-age, 66.7 % had short stature, and 33.3 % moderate short stature. Abdominal pain was reported in 53.3 % of the cases, and no weight gain in 46.7 %. Other symptoms were lack of appetite in 26.7 %, vomiting in 13.3 %, among others. Between 40 % and 93.4 % of the children presented macro and/or microscopic esophagitis, gastritis, and duodenitis. The most important microscopic findings were chronic duodenitis with giardiasis, duodenal ulcers, duodenal nodular lymphoid hyperplasia, Helicobacter pylori, and chronic eosinophilic duodenitis.

Conclusions:

Although endoscopy of the digestive tract is a method barely used and not well described in the study of children with short stature, this case report describes organicity in 80 % of the children analyzed.

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