10 Methods To Recognize Heartburn In Youngsters

By Artemas Ward

Acid reflux disease or GERD is a condition where the contents of the belly enter into the esophagus and cause painful symptoms in the upper chest area.

Newborns routinely spit up but may not actually have acid reflux. Older kids may not spit up at all but may have more subtle evidence of acid reflux. These are named 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 determined cough

10. A failure to thrive

It seems that acid reflux occurs more often in kids born prematurely. There's no tie to any categorical time of prematurity. Early infants 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 critical thing to realize when discussing pediatric acid reflux is that not all children who barf or spit up have acid reflux and not all youngsters with acid reflux puke or spit up.

There just is no dead on methodology of telling without the recommendation of a trained pediatrician. Since acid reflux in youngsters could be extremely refined, the folks must arm themselves with what to look for and know what to do.

If you are not sure if your child has acid reflux, try keeping a diary of foods eaten and how many times the kid spits up or pukes. Also track symptoms the same way and pass this information along to your GP. He / she will make the right decision on treatment for your youngster.

In addition to the silent symptoms above, more significant symptoms are insistent complaints of heartburn, burning in the chest area or trouble sleeping flat on the back.

When you know what to go looking for, you can take your kid to a pediatric gastroenterologist for evaluation. Take your diary with you and debate everything with your health practitioner.

There are plenty of treatments for acid reflux and your doctor will know what to prescribe. I would not suggest using over the counter drugs like Nexium, Zantac 75 or Prilosec in kids since these were originally developed for adults with the condition and may be too robust for children.

When it comes to acid reflux in youngsters, there truly are too many variables to consider, so please see your doctor in all cases. - 32369

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