Acid Reflux in Infants

Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a condition in which the food and acid from the stomach regurgitate in the esophageal tube. In infants, reflux of stomach content is often observed as spitting up. Hence, it is referred to as spitting up in infants. Acid reflux in infants is a common condition occurred during or immediately after feeding. According to statistics, it is estimated that acid reflux occurs in more than half of the infants during the first 3 months.

Acid Reflux in Infants: Causes and Symptoms

In infants, acid reflux is caused due to malfunctioning or poor coordination of the gastrointestinal tract. Healthy babies with normal weights and growth may also suffer from acid reflux. In some infants, acid reflux may result from the disorder in the brain, muscles and nerves. Acid reflux is usually aggravated during crying, coughing and exertion.

Some of the common symptoms of acid reflux in infants are frequent spitting up, vomiting, coughing, feeding problem, refusing to feed or eat, bad breath, wet burps, heartburn, abdominal pain and irritability during sleep. In addition, the infant may have a difficulty in swallowing, breathing problems, hoarse voice, excessive drooling and recurrent sore throat.

A more severe condition of acid reflux in infants is gastroesophageal acid reflux (GERD) or pathogenic GER. Mostly, it occurs among the infants with neurological impairments. On an average, one out of every 300 infants suffer from GERD. An infant with this severe acid reflux may manifest the symptoms like persistent regurgitation, esophagitis, problems in feeding, chronic sinusitis, pneumonia and retarded growth.

Acid Reflux in Infants: Diagnosis and Treatment

Acid reflux in infants is diagnosed based on the symptoms, physical examination and feeding history of the baby. For confirmation, pH monitoring of the esophagus can be performed. In case of severe symptoms of acid reflux, the pediatrician may conduct upper endoscopy, blood tests and urine test in order to rule out other health conditions.

As already mentioned spitting up is a common condition among the infants that can be managed by making some lifestyle changes. In fact, there are no specific treatments for acid reflux, if the baby is healthy, active and growing normally. Generally, the symptoms of acid reflux resolves by itself, when the baby is about 1to 1 ½ years old. The occurrence of acid reflux at this age group decreases to about two percent.

The treatment options of acid reflux in babies depend on the severity of the symptoms and age of the infant. The treatment may include lifestyles changes like feeding at least 30-45 minutes before sleep, frequent small feedings, upright position while eating or feeding, burping the baby after feeding and elevation of head position of the baby's bed to 30 degrees while sleeping. Changing the feeding habit from liquid to semisolid or solid food, may also help in managing the symptoms of acid reflux in infants.

In case of a breastfeeding infant, the mother should abstain from caffeine, chocolate and other foods that are known to trigger acid reflux in the baby. If the symptoms of acid reflux in infants do not improve after making necessary feeding and sleeping modifications, the physician may recommend the medications like acid blockers and proton-pump inhibitors in order to prevent or block the reflux of stomach contents. Acid reflux can be very uncomfortable to the infants. Hence, proper baby care and treatment under medical supervision are highly recommended to prevent other complications.