OBJECTIVE: To report a case of peptic disease in a school child whose first symptoms were acute abdominal pain and paleness. CASE DESCRIPTION: A nine-year-old school child presented to a pediatric emergency unit with acute abdominal pain and sudden pallor. There were no other symptoms or signs on physical examination, except for discolored mucous and a low hemoglobin level. During hospital observation he presented one episode of melena. The esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed erosive antrum gastritis and duodenal ulcer, with Helicobacter pylori. He was treated with inhibitor pump proton and two antimicrobial for two weeks. COMMENTS: This is a rare presentation in the pediatric emergency unit. The patient had abdominal pain and pallor confirmed by low hemoglobin level, which remained in subsequent blood tests, delaying the diagnosis of active bleeding. The occurrence of melena during hospitalization led to the hypotheses of high digestive bleeding. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy was done and confirmed the presence of erosive antrum gastritis, duodenal ulcer and H. pylori infection. The treatment of the patient included bacterial eradication.
abdominal pain; peptic ulcer; Helicobacter pylori