Abstract:

Objective: Corrosive burns of esophagus occurring in childhood has life-threatening complications. Its detection via biochemical substrates instead of performing esophagoscopy is crucially important for children. Determination of oxidative stress markers including thiol/disulfide homeostasis and ischemia modified albumin levels may provide valuable information for corrosive esophageal burns. The study aims to investigate the relation between esophageal corrosion and thiol/disulfide homeostasis and ischemia-modified albumin levels in children. Material and Methods: Eighteen patients who underwent esophagoscopy due to corrosive substances intake (esophagoscopy group) and age and gender-matched 18 volunteers (control group) were included study. Blood levels of native thiol (-SH), total thiol (SH+SS), dynamic disulfide (SS), albumin and ischemia modified albumin (IMA) were measured in both groups. SPSS 17.0 was used for analyses and p <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Laboratory results of cases with esophageal burn (n = 13) and without burn (n = 5) and control (n = 18) were compared. There was a significant decrease in levels of dynamic disulfide (p=0.03), and dynamic disulfide/total thiol ratio (p=0.01) of children with esophageal burn compared with that of children with no burn or were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Decreased levels of disulphide and dynamic disulfide/total thiol ratio would be used as a laboratory test to show corrosion in the esophagus. However, randomized, multicentric studies with larger samples are needed.

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