subject: What is the Cause of Acid Reflux in Infant? [print this page] What is the Cause of Acid Reflux in Infant?
The cause of infant acid reflux is similar to that of acid reflux in adults. Infants experience the same uncomfortable sensation that an adult experiences with acid reflux. The acids that reflux into the esophagus irritates the baby's throat, causing them to have excessive spitting up and vomiting. If your baby is experiencing excessive spitting up and/or vomiting, don't ignore it. If it is acid reflux it could cause your child to be malnutritioned and it could ultimately stunt their growth.
Acid reflux disease occurs when there is a lot of pressure on the baby's stomach. Overfeeding the infant will cause this pressure. Coughing and crying right after the baby had been fed will also cause pressure in the upper stomach. This pressure causes the stomach acid to be pushed into the baby's throat.
While there are noticeable symptoms of acid reflux, some infants may not show signs such as throwing up. It's because their tendency is to swallow up the acids instead. Although the child is not pestered by the reflux, this could still result to irritation and damage to the esophagus. One way of detecting silent acid reflux on infants is through the pH probe.
To diagnose acid reflux on infants, certain tests could be made. One of which is the barium test where the infant has to swallow a little amount of barium. Then the doctor could detect the passage of food outlined by the chemical. However, it will only work in the moment that the child is undergoing acid reflux while being tested. In place of barium, a radioactive solution could also be made to swallow before an x-ray. Through this, the frequency of the acid reflux could be tested. An endoscope views the infant's mouth, esophagus and the tract of food in the stomach.
One way to resolve the cause of infant acid reflux is thicken the baby formula by adding cereal to the formula. Also, keep the baby upright when they are being fed. Frequent burping will also help to reduce acid reflux in an infant. Breastfeeding also helps reduce the symptoms of acid reflux in infants. Last resorts may be prescription drugs
Once infant acid reflux is detected, precautionary measures should immediately follow. Since the infant cannot yet speak of the discomfort he is suffering, parents should be patient enough to attend to their needs.
