The ‘cross’ of Oesophageal Stricture in Childern

One of the devastating clinical entities in children, especially in the developing world is oesophageal stricture. Majority of these cases are acquired from accidental ingestion of caustic soda. In this edition, the HIS Journal has shown that over 70% of children who presented with oesophaeal stricture for oesophageal dilation were from caustic soda ingestion. There are articles that have shown increasing incidence in Africa [1]. Other causes of oesophageal stricture in children even though uncommon are congenital and other acquired causes namely post-operative oesophageal procedures, trauma from impacted foreign body, eosinophilic oesophagitis, reflux oesophageal stricture and after radiation radiation therapy. The aetiology varies between countries [2]. Majority of these children diagnosed with caustic oesophageal stricture are under five years. The circumstances leading to accidental ingestion have always been that this toxic substance often used for local soap making is kept in familiar containers. The unsuspecting children are attracted to these containers and mistakenly ingest the content as water.