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By Eric Troy
Everyone gets occasional heartburn from acid reflux. The medical term for this is gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which refers to any intermittent regurgitation of gastric material into the esophagus. GER is a normal part of life that not only affects adults but people of all ages, including infants, who often spit up after being fed. In adults, when GER occurs more than twice a week it may be a more serious condition called GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). GERD can occur in babies as well. Many parents, upon learning this, may be justifiably worried. After all, not only do babies spit up, some of them spit up a lot. How much is too much and when should we be concerned?
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Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease was once thought to be a rare medical disorder. It is now considered one of the most common medical problems in infants. However, it is important to realize that gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is not exactly the same thing as GERD. This is the root of the problem. As stated above, GER is a normal part of life. In medical terms, this means it is a normal physiologic process. When a normal process can become a damaging or 'pathologic' process, diagnosis can be more difficult. What is the distinction between normal GER and pathologic GER? This is even more difficult in babies since they cannot tell us about their pain and other symptoms. Despite these diagnostic limitations, the estimated prevalence of GERD in infants and children ranges from one to eight percent.
GER symptoms in infants usually subside by six to twelve months of age. Spitting up, in itself, isn't cause for concern. Vomiting, however, can be. GERD in babies tends to manifest as vomiting rather than small amounts of regurgitated milk. If your baby cannot keep down most of his or her milk and vomits a large amount of it up soon after eating, then reflux may be a serious problem. If your baby also fails to gain weight there is even more cause for concern.
GERD babies may suddenly cry after eating and refuse to be comforted because of pain from excess stomach acid. Other general symptoms to look for are bad breath, arching, frequent burping, hiccupping, gagging, choking, and swallowing problems. GERD is also one of the most common causes of frequent coughing in babies. GERD babies may wake often during the night and have another, more frightening, occurrence called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is when a sleeping baby stops breathing for periods of ten to twenty seconds.
If your baby spits up a great deal and shows any of these other signs and symptoms, see your pediatrician. He or she will probably run some tests to check for reflux and, if necessary, refer you to a pediatric gastroenterologist. If your baby is diagnosed with GERD your doctor will help you decide about the various treatment options, including medication and feeding strategies. Surgery is considered for children only after all other medical treatment has failed and when there have been severe complications. Most cases can be treated quite successfully with feeding interventions and drugs such as proton pump inhibitors.
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References
Shimberg, Elaine Fantle. Coping with Chronic Heartburn: What You Need to Know about Acid Reflux and GERD. New York: St. Martin's, 2002. 60-64. Print.
Liacouras, Christopher A., and David A. Piccoli. Introduction. Pediatric Gastroenterology. Philadelphia: Mosby/Elsevier, 2008. 83-85. Print.
Kleinman, Ronald E., and W. Allan. Walker. Walker's Pediatric Gastrointestinal Disease: Physiology, Diagnosis, Management. Hamilton, Ont.: BC Decker, 2008. 385. Print
This page is provided by Ground Up Strength for information purposes only and should not take the place of professional medical advice. Although we have done our utmost to provide accurate and safe information, we are not medical professionals and the information on this page should not be taken as professional medical advice, or any other kind of medical advice.
This page created 08 Sep 2011 14:39
Last updated 20 Apr 2012 01:45
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