Spitting up is a common occurrence in the case of newborns, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are suffering from acid reflux. In the case of older children, the spitting up is replaced by other symptoms. These are usually more subtle, and that is why they are named “silent symptoms”. They include sleeping trouble, persistent coughing, weight loss, irritability, swallowing trouble, chest or abdomen pain, sleep apnea, frequent soreness in the throat. Also, if the child habitually arches his or her back while feeding and generally fails to thrive, it’s very likely that he or she is suffering from GERD. Also, it is clearly case of acid reflux when the patient is vomiting gastric acid and bile in large amounts. However, these symptoms may be similar to those of other pediatric afflictions. It is advised that you submit your observations to the attention of a doctor who knows how to recognize acid reflux in children, and he or she will further check on the child’s condition.

Prematurely born children should be constantly examined by a specialized health care professional who knows how to recognize acid reflux in children. That is because the systems of premature infants have not had the time to fully develop, and are more susceptible to developing such affections.

Parents must be informed and taught how to recognize acid reflux in children. The affliction may be hard to detect, mainly because not all children who spit up or vomit are affected by GERD, but also not all children with acid reflux spit up or vomit. It is recommended that parents keep a journal of the foods ingested by the baby. Also, all the symptoms manifested by the baby should be recorded and presented to a pediatrician. This will allow the specialized physicians to place an accurate diagnosis of the baby’s condition and inform the parents regarding the best treatment options available.

While over-the-counter medicines, such as Zantac 75, Nexium or Prilosec may not be suitable for the treatment of acid reflux in the case of young children, there are still a lot of therapy options available for pediatric use. It is strongly recommended to consult a specialized health care professional in order to obtain a treatment plan which is appropriate for the child’s age, body weight and general health state.

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