Gastroesophageal reflux in children: When is it dangerous?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vu Quoc Anh - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. Dr. Anh has nearly 10 years of experience as a resident doctor and treating doctor at Hue Central Hospital and Da Nang Children's Hospital. Her strength is diagnosis and treatment of pediatric diseases; Pediatric resuscitation and first aid.
And resident doctor Duong Van Sy - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Gastroesophageal reflux in children is a common phenomenon in the first months of life. Up to two-thirds of children have this condition, however, most will clear up on their own by the time they are 1 year old.

1. How is gastroesophageal reflux in children, physiological and pathological?

Physiological reflux: Children under 6 months of age often spit up milk (many times a day) but still have normal activities, gain weight evenly, do not have recurrent wheezing, ... mostly birth reflux physical. This condition will gradually decrease over time, at least until the child is 1 year old. Pathological reflux: Children after 1 year of age still often spit up milk, skinny children, malnourished, anorexic, slow in weight gain, ... it may be pathological reflux. At this time, parents should take their children to see a pediatric gastroenterologist to accurately diagnose the condition and give appropriate and timely treatment.

2. Is gastroesophageal reflux dangerous?

When a child after 1 year of age still regularly spits up milk and has signs of the above pathological reflux, they will encounter complications of gastroesophageal reflux causing:
Digestive complications: esophagitis with many to varying degrees, affecting children's eating activities. Barrett's esophagus is the most severe condition, which is an inflammation of the esophagus, narrowing of the esophagus, making it difficult for food to flow from the mouth to the stomach.

Respiratory Complications: Children are prone to wheezing, persistent coughs, and conventional treatment does not relieve symptoms. Acid from the stomach back up into the esophagus, causing the vocal cords in the throat to thicken, making the baby wheeze and hoarse. Worse, gastroesophageal reflux in children is also associated with asthma in children. Complications of the mouth and ears, nose and throat: Children with pathological reflux may have ear infections, sinusitis, tooth wear, slow weight gain, malnutrition, and long-term effects on the development of behavior of children. young.

3. How should children take care of gastroesophageal reflux?

With children with physiological reflux, parents should rest assured because this is only a temporary condition in the early stages of the child. However, with proper care, it will make your baby more comfortable and also relieve the symptoms of acid reflux.

3.1 For young children

Divide the amount of milk in each feeding of the baby, about 30 - 60ml/time. For babies who feed more than 60ml/time, then after 60ml, continue to hold the baby in the high head position, and help the baby burp by patting the baby's back, then continue feeding. Parents should note that in this case, the child should not be carried on the shoulder because it may cause the child to vomit milk because this position compresses the stomach. Make milk thicker by adding a small amount of rice flour or cereal to breast milk or formula milk, which will help reduce the amount of milk per feeding, thereby reducing the amount of milk in the stomach. gastroesophageal reflux in children. When adding powder to milk, parents should pay attention to use nipples with wider holes to help milk flow more easily. When the baby is finished feeding, parents should put the baby in a position with the head higher than the bed about 30 degrees, to reduce reflux symptoms.

3.2 For older children

It is necessary to limit foods and drinks that stimulate the stomach such as sour, spicy foods, coffee, ... because it will make reflux symptoms worse.
In addition, there are some children who are allergic to cow's milk protein, if the child is being given formula milk and has reflux, the advice given by the doctor is to change to another more suitable milk.
Gastroesophageal reflux in children, if you know how to take care of them, will help reduce reflux symptoms and limit the complications of acid reflux.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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