Reflux Management

Sandifer syndrome is a rare paediatric medical disorder, characterised by gastrointestinal symptoms and associated neurological features. There is a significant link between the syndrome and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), however it is estimated to occur in less than 1% of children with reflux. Onset is usually confined to infancy and early childhood, with peaking at 18-36 months. In rare cases, particularly where the child is [...]

Parents and guardians can contribute to the success of this test and are often invited to participate. The 24-hour pH probe study is a test that uses a thin probe or tube placed in the oesophagus or food pipe, that connects the mouth to the stomach, to help your doctor diagnose and treat acid reflux. Placement [...]

Distinguishing between Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) and Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in infants is critical to providing appropriate treatment and avoiding over classifying infants with GORD that leads to over testing and over treatment. Paediatricians need to learn how to recognise infants with “simple GOR in whom conservative recommendations are more appropriate, and identifying infants with GORD in [...]

The charity Allergy UK is calling for more awareness of cows’ milk allergy, after a report revealed nearly half of children have to wait three months for a correct diagnosis. The report ‘The Challenge of Delayed Reactions’, found that of the parents surveyed, whose children have been diagnosed with cows’ milk allergy (CMA), nearly one [...]

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), in common use for treating gastric reflux symptoms in babies, are unnecessary and ineffective in this age group, concludes an Australian systematic review. Published in Pediatrics, the review of 12 studies of almost 900 children aged 0-17 noted the paucity of evidence to support the current widespread prescribing of PPIs in [...]

‘Reflux’ is the general word used to describe what happens when the stomach contents move, without any effort, into the oesophagus (food pipe) and in some cases into the throat and out of the mouth. Silent reflux describes the same method of stomach contents moving into the oesophagus, whereby it rises to a point and [...]

Definition Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis or HPS, is a condition in which there is a thickening of the muscle in the wall of the intestine, just beyond the stomach. A child with HPS will experience increasing numbers of large milky vomits, and will vomit within half an hour of every single feed. Immediately after vomiting, the [...]

Along these same lines as Sandifier’s Syndrome, Torticollis can occur as a complication of reflux. The arching typically involves some rotation of the neck, and that repeated posturing coupled with the baby’s normal lack of muscle control during the early months, often leads to tightening of the neck muscles resulting in a right or left [...]

Solids can either help or make reflux worse when introduced. It is best to start with a small amount and increase this very slowly. Puree the foods very smooth. Perhaps start with half a teaspoon to 2 teaspoonfuls per meal in the beginning and keep a note of the quantities your baby is consuming. If [...]

Apart from the obvious anxiety and frustration parents feel when they can’t resolve a baby’s health issues or take them on themselves, there are some very subtle undercurrents that can impact on a family coping with a baby suffering with reflux. From my own personal experiences with our third child Willow, I felt guilty that [...]

Summary Van Wijk and colleagues reviewed familiar aspects of infant feeding: gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is common in premature infants, reflux immediately after a meal is only weakly acidic, and reflux becomes more acidic as time passes after a meal. More acidic reflux is thought to produce more problematic symptoms in infants. Transient lower esophageal sphincter [...]

Experts are constantly researching and revising the reasons why reflux, GOR and GORD, occurs so readily in infants. Prematurity. Premature babies are more likely to have reflux episodes in their early days because their digestive systems are not mature and the signals from the brain that control digestion aren’t regulated. Constipation. Constipation can slow digestion [...]