Hi, this is Tom, and in this episode I'm going to be going through gastroasophageal reflux in infants and children.

And you can find notes at 0.0.5.com and in the 0 to Finals Pediatrics book.

And you can find flashcards and questions at members.0.0.5.com.

And at the end of this episode, we'll go through some questions so you can test yourself on what

you just heard. So let's jump straight in. Gastroasophageal reflux is when the contents of the

stomach reflux through the lower esophageal reflux is when the contents of the stomach reflux through the lower

esophageal sphincter into the esophagus and up to the throat and mouth.

There are several factors that contribute to reflux in infants and these are the fact that

in a baby the lower esophageal sphincter is immature.

They also have a shorter esophagus, a slower gastric emptying time, meaning that the stomach

stays fuller for longer, and a liquid diet of milk.

It's normal for a baby to reflux and regurgitate their feeds.

Reflux in infants is not concerning,

provided there's normal growth and the baby is otherwise well.

It usually improves as they grow older and larger

and over 90% will stop having reflux by 12 months of age.

Let's go through the presentation.

Signs of problematic reflux in infants includes a chronic cough, a horse cry, distress, crying or being unsettled after a feed,

reluctance to feed, chest infections and poor weight gain.

Children over the age of one year may experience similar symptoms to adults, such as heartburn,

acid regurgitation, retraternal or epigastric pain, bloating, and a nocturnal cough,

meaning a cough at night when they're lying flat and the acid comes up and irritates the throat.

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