Acid reflux disease or GERD is a condition where the contents of the stomach enter into the esophagus and cause distressing symptoms in the higher chest area.
Newborns customarily spit up but may not really have acid reflux. Older children may not spit up at all but could have more sophisticated evidence of acid reflux. These are termed silent symptoms and include :
1. Weight management
2. Difficulty sleeping
3. Irritability
4. Arching the back while feeding
5. Trouble swallowing
6. Agony in the stomach or chest.
7. Hoarseness in the voice
8. Frequent sore throat
9. A persistent cough
10. A failure to prosper
It seems that acid reflux occurs more frequently in youngsters born prematurely. There is no tie to any specific time of prematurity. Premature children have not had an opportunity to develop all of their systems completely and therefore have a range of different issues, including acid reflux.
So that the most important thing to realize when deliberating pediatric acid reflux is that not all youngsters who barf or spit up have acid reflux and not all kids with acid reflux vomit or spit up.
There just is no dead on method of telling without the advice of a trained pediatrician.
Since acid reflux in kids may be awfully refined, the elders must arm themselves with what to have a look for and know what to do.
If you are not sure if your kid has acid reflux, try keeping a diary of foods eaten and how many times the child spits up or barfs. Also track symptoms the same way and pass this information along to your doctor. He / she will be able to make the correct call on treatment for your youngster.
As well as the silent symptoms above, more exaggerated symptoms are obstinate complaints of heartburn, burning in the chest area or difficulty sleeping flat on the back.
When you know what to look for, you can take your youngster to a pediatric gastroenterologist for analysis. Take your diary with you and discuss everything with your doctor.
There are many treatments for acid reflux and your surgeon will know what to prescribe. I would not suggest using over the counter drugs like Nexium, Zantac 75 or Prilosec in youngsters since these were initially developed for adults with the condition and will be too powerful for kids.
When it comes to acid reflux in children, there truly are too many variables to consider, so please see your physician in all cases.
What Causes Acid Reflux Disease offers detailed details on the root cause, symptoms, treatment, and diet related to regular and infant acid reflux. Heartburn Info is the sister site of what does acid reflux feel like.