The Symptoms Of Acid Reflux In Children

What is acid reflux or Heartburn in children?

The basic movement of food starts from and after you chew it, it goes down the oesophagus. Under normal circumstances, this food travels down the oesophagus and a special muscle at the lower end of the oesophagus shuts down to keep food and other liquid items in the stomach itself, the extraordinary muscle is named as the lower oesophagus sphincter (LES). Now, in unusual conditions LES is not able to work properly and thus the contents of the stomach comes back to the mouth via the oesophagus, this upward drive of the stomach content including acid is termed as acid reflux in children, it is mostly seen in new born babies, however older children can also be affected by it. Now let us go through the causes of heartburn in children.

What are the causes of heartburn in children?

It is seen that the major reason of the heartburn in children is a poorly synchronized gastrointestinal tract, usually children suffering from this disease are quite healthy but others may have problems with brain nerves or muscles, moreover, heartburn in children can also be a result of relaxation of the muscular valve between the oesophagus and the stomach, at times it also happens because the pressure is laid below the LES, apart from this other factors which contribute to Heartburn in children are: obesity in children, habits like overeating, over drinking beverages, specific medications, it can also be hereditary, therefore it is observed that acid reflux in children can be a family problem, so, you must be aware of the fact that whether it is hereditary or not you must let your doctor know about the symptoms of heartburn in children as soon as possible.

What are the symptoms of acid reflux or Heartburn in children?

Evaluation of G.E.R.D. is very important, as soon as you diagnose this disease in your child you must visit a physician, the common symptoms of heartburn in children are: recurrent vomiting after every meal, persistent cough for more than 2 weeks, frequent fussiness or crying of the child due to abdominal pain or heartburn gas, actions like re-swallowing after every bite in young babies and young children, other problems related with acid reflux are: feeding troubles, frequent choking or suppressing, slow development and growth, breathing problems, and frequent occurrence of pneumonia.

Most of the children outgrow infantile acid reflux. However, young children can also be detected with acid reflux. But the good thing is acid reflux in children can be easily managed.

Author: Joe R Leech

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