In June, 2005, a young boy in Boston developed a short dry cough that manifested itself during the nighttime and less frequently during the day. This was initially thought to be an allergy but he soon showed signs of asthma and after allergy testing showed no allergies, it was determined that Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) was at the root of his problem.
This condition is frequently overlooked in children as it is thought that only adults suffer from it. On the contrary, children develop GERD as well and often can’t communicate the problem to adults because of language or ignorance. Often the continual sickness is seen as something entirely different and the cough merely as a symptom of either an allergy or a cold.
In actuality, children are susceptible to GERD because their digestive tracts and systems are too undeveloped to deal with the generation of excess digestive fluids. Many grow out of this by the age of one or two.
The symptoms one may see in infants include difficulty in swallowing and breathing properly. Growth problems are also of concern in these cases. Steps to reduce the amount of acid in an infant’s stomach should be taken before more serious problems come up.
Two effective methods are to burp the baby several times during and after a feeding and to keep the baby in an upright position for a half an hour after feeding. This keeps the fluids down as much as possible in this situation.
In the case of older children, the diet must be monitored more strictly and certain foods containing caffeine must be avoided. Any spicy foods such as mint flavored candies, or chocolates, fatty or oily foods, or citric foods should be limited and kept track of. A healthy diet is recommended for children in any event anyways.
Care should be taken to give regular small snacks just before bedtime to reduce the amount of acid residing in the stomach during sleep. Crackers or some other carbohydrate would work in this case. Some period of time should elapse between eating and bedtime, if possible. A slight elevation of the head during sleep will aid in the elimination of stomach acid from the esophagus.
Over the counter medications such as Prevacid or proton plump inhibitors are used to reduce the contact of digestive fluids with vulnerable areas of the esophagus and throat.
In the event that these methods do not work, doctors will advocate surgery. While infrequent, this treatment is most effective in dealing with acid reflux in children that does not respond to conventional treatments. This particular surgery will have to be done at regular periods during the patient’s lifetime as the underlying causes cannot be fixed.
Parents who are concerned about their children’s symptoms should not be alarmed about frequent coughing until you start to see vomiting that is green or yellow or contains blood. If there is pain in swallowing or problems with breathing, please consult your pediatrician immediately before things get serious.
In later stages GERD can lead to very serious long term problems and even to cancer of the esophagus. There is no substitute for careful observations and the knowledge of the possibilities. Kids cannot take care of themselves; they rely on parents.
ACID REFLUX * CAUSES * SYMPTOMS OF ACID REFLUX * ADULT ACID REFLUX * ACID REFLUX AND PREGNANCY * ASTHMA AND ACID REFLUX * ACID REFLUX AND SORE THROATS * ACID REFLUX IN CHILDREN * ACID REFLUX IN BABIES * ACID REFLUX TREATMENT * ACID REFLUX NATURAL CURES