Developing a diagnostic tool to help doctors identify, treat and prevent respiratory disease in children with cerebral palsy.

Most children with severe cerebral palsy are prone to gastroesophageal reflux, the regurgitation of their stomach contents. This condition is dangerous, as it means that foreign material, such as food or saliva, can enter the lungs. This is called aspiration, and can lead to serious breathing difficulties, infections and damage to the lungs.

Current tests to check for aspiration in the lungs of children with respiratory difficulties are not very sensitive. Sparks-funded research is trying to establish a more reliable test, making it easier for doctors to prescribe the right treatment.

What we’re doing

Liverpool-based researchers hope to establish whether pepsin, a substance found in the stomach (but not normally in the lungs) that helps to digest food, can be used as a reliable biomarker to test for aspiration in children with cerebral palsy.

The potential impact

This test could help doctors improve treatment and the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy. It could also help doctors to manage reflux, preventing associated complications such as pneumonia or the chronic lung changes caused by aspiration. More broadly, the research could give doctors a better understanding of how common aspiration is in children with cerebral palsy and the damage it can cause.

Location

Institute of Child Health, Liverpool and Newcastle University

Cost

£136,567 over 24 months

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