Jornal de Hepatologia e Distúrbios Gastrointestinais
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Pediatric Gastrointestinal Disorders Related to High Altitude: Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

Wilson Daza, Clara Plata, Ana María Rojas, Silvana Dadán

Upon ascending above 2,500 meters above sea level, the human body undergoes a series of physiological changes, which have been studied during recent years. These changes affect various systems, including the gastrointestinal tract, with diverse clinical manifestations, most mild and therefore little reported and underdiagnosed. We present two pediatric patients who attended the Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Unit (Gastronutriped) in Bogota, for whom we documented symptoms associated with high altitude that affected the gastrointestinal tract. With respect to these cases, a review of the available literature focusing on the physiology, clinical manifestations, and feasible treatment was carried out. The ultimate aim of this article is to alert health care professionals working in cities located at high altitudes to the possibility of considering this entity as a differential diagnosis in children from places with a lower altitude.