Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Aug 1;18(8):1671.
doi: 10.3390/ijms18081671.

Gastro-Esophageal Reflux in Children

Anna Rybak  1 , Marcella Pesce  2   3 , Nikhil Thapar  4   5 , Osvaldo Borrelli  6
Affiliations
Review

Gastro-Esophageal Reflux in Children

Anna Rybak et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) is common in infants and children and has a varied clinical presentation: from infants with innocent regurgitation to infants and children with severe esophageal and extra-esophageal complications that define pathological gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although the pathophysiology is similar to that of adults, symptoms of GERD in infants and children are often distinct from classic ones such as heartburn. The passage of gastric contents into the esophagus is a normal phenomenon occurring many times a day both in adults and children, but, in infants, several factors contribute to exacerbate this phenomenon, including a liquid milk-based diet, recumbent position and both structural and functional immaturity of the gastro-esophageal junction. This article focuses on the presentation, diagnosis and treatment of GERD that occurs in infants and children, based on available and current guidelines.

Keywords: children; extraintestinal symptoms; gastro-esophageal reflux; guidelines; infants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the clinical management of GERD in infants [11]. GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease; GER: gastroesophageal reflux; CMP: Cow’s milk protein; PPIs: proton pump inhibitors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart of the clinical management of GERD in older children and adolescents [11]. PPIs: proton pump inhibitors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gold B.D. Epidemiology and management of gastro-oesophageal reflux in children. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 2004;19(Suppl. S1):22–27. doi: 10.1111/j.0953-0673.2004.01832.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fonkalsrud E.W., Ament M.E. Gastroesophageal reflux in childhood. Curr. Probl. Surg. 1996;33:1–70. doi: 10.1016/S0011-3840(96)80012-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nelson S.P., Chen E.H., Syniar G.M., Christoffel K.K. Prevalence of symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux during childhood: A pediatric practice-based survey. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 2000;154:150–154. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.154.2.150. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hegar B., Dewanti N.R., Kadim M., Alatas S., Firmansyah A., Vandenplas Y. Natural Evolution of Regurgitation in Healthy Infants. Acta Pædiatrica. 2009;98:1189–1193. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2009.01306.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Miyazawa R., Tomomasa T., Kaneko H., Tachibana A., Ogawa T., Morikawa A. Prevalence of gastro-esophageal reflux-related symptoms in Japanese infants. Pediatr. Int. Off. J. Jpn. Pediatr. Soc. 2002;44:513–516. doi: 10.1046/j.1442-200X.2002.01609.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources