Baby Reflux-Cause and Symptoms
Gastroesophageal reflux is the condition in which there is backward movement of the food along with acid from the stomach into the esophagus and many times into the mouth.
- Reflux may be caused by the infant’s position during feeding, overfeeding, exposure to cigarette smoke or caffeine, or an abnormality of the digestive tract.
- Reflux may cause vomiting, excessive spitting up, damage to the esophagus, or breathing problems.
- If reflux is suspected, doctors may try treating it before diagnostic tests are done.
- Feeding and sleeping positions may be changed, and exposure to cigarette smoke and caffeine is eliminated.
- Antacids, proton pump inhibitors, or metocloprarnide may be given.
Nearly all infants have episodes of gastroesophageal reflux; “burping up” that babies do after feeding is considered normal.
Reflux becomes a concern when it interferes with feeding and nutrition, causes poor weight gain, damages the esophagus, leads to breathing difficulties, or continues beyond infancy into childhood.
Baby Reflux Causes
Healthy infants have reflux for many reasons. The circular band of muscle that normally keeps stomach contents from entering the esophagus (lower esophageal sphincter) is not fully developed in infants, allowing stomach contents to move backward into the esophagus.
Being held flat during a feeding (instead of more upright) or lying down after a feeding can cause reflux.
Overfeeding predisposes to reflux, as does exposure to cigarette smoke or caffeine in breast milk, both of which relax the lower esophage sphincter and can cause the child to become irritable and eat poorly.
Less commonly, children may have an anatomic abnormality, such as narrowing of the esophagus or abnormal position of the intestines (malrotation), which makes reflux even more 1ikely.
Immaturity of the nerves that control stomach emptying can also lead to gastroesophageal reflux. Milk allergy is a rare cause.
Baby Reflux Symptoms
The most common symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux in new born babies are vomiting and excessive spitting up.
Less obviously, the infant may be irritable, may not eat well, or may have “spells” of twisting and posturing that may be confused with seizures.
Reflux usually improves gradually until the age of 1 or 2 years, when the child starts eating Solid foods and is able to eat on his own in an upright position. However, reflux occasionally leads to complications. Some infants lose weight.
Some develop a low red blood cell count (anaemia) because of bleeding from the esophagus and some inhale (aspirate) stomach acid and food into their lungs.
Aspiration of stomach contents can cause pneumonia, asthma, periods when breathing stops (apnea), a slow heart rate, and, extremely rarely, infant death.
Older children are usually able to describe chest pain or heart burn .hen1 they have gastroesophageal reflux.
Chronic cough, hoarseness, hiccups, ear pain, and high-pitched breathing (stridor) may also be subtle signs of reflux in older children.
In some children, reflux may be a cause of chronic ear infection.