Every baby spits up. But when it always happens, and when it is accompanied by fits of screaming, drops of blood in the spit up, arching of the back, it could be a case of infant GERD. Although many of these cases of acid reflux correct themselves within two years of birth, some children can continue to experience these symptoms for many years, or develop other GERD-related illness such as chronic ear infections, low weight, esophagitis, and strictures.
The symptoms of infant acid reflux are the same as in adults but certain symptoms, such as vomiting and aspiration of the reflux resulting in asthma or chronic lung infections, are more common in children, while other adult symptoms, such as chest pain, are less common in children. Peculiar arching of the neck as well as sinus and ear infections are also certain symptoms that are more common in children.
The signs and symptoms of acid reflux are often shared by other conditions. Common symptoms suffered by infants with acid reflux include vomiting, chronic spitting up, food refusal, and problems with swallowing. However, those same symptoms are shared by other conditions including food allergies, metabolic dysfunction, and structural abnormalities such as esophageal atresia, a condition in which the esophageal is incompletely formed and possibly disconnected from the stomach. Even something as simple as an infant accidentally sticking its fingers or hand too far in the throat and initiating a gag reflex can cause vomiting.
The causes of infant acid reflux are different than those adults experience. Infants do not wear tight clothing or smoking. They do not take spicy food or drink alcohol. Instead, infants usually experience transient relaxation of the LES that may be attributable to an undeveloped neurological response. As their voluntary and involuntary reflexes mature during the first year and beyond, most of the infants with acid reflux symptoms see a decline in or disappearance of symptoms by two years old. However, a small number of children will continue to struggle with the signs and symptoms of acid reflux beyond that time frame.
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Source: www.articlealley.com
