What is GERD | Symptoms | How Kids with GERD Feel | How GERD Affects Kids' Eating Habits
How GERD Affects Kids' Lifestyles | How GERD Affects Older Kids Compared to Younger Kids

What is GERD?

Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the stomach contents go back up into the esophagus during or after a meal. When this happens on average two or more times a week, it is called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The esophagus is the tube that connects the back of the throat to the stomach. Food travels into the esophagus through an entrance called the upper esophageal sphincter. Food exits the esophagus through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that relaxes to allow food into the stomach.

When the LES relaxes at the wrong time, it lets food and stomach acid back into the esophagus. The stomach can handle this acid, which helps digest food. The esophagus cannot. When the acidic stomach contents touch the esophagus, it can cause a burning sensation in the chest and throat.

Symptoms

In infants (0-24 months), GERD symptoms include:

• Vomiting associated with blood, green or yellow fluid, or poor weight gain
• Inconsolable or severe crying and irritability
• Persistent food refusal, poor growth or failure to thrive, or difficulty eating
• Breathing problems, including difficulty breathing, repeated bouts of pneumonia, breathing stops, turning blue, chronic cough, or wheezing
• Spitting
• Blood in the stools

In children 2-12 years old, GERD symptoms include:

• Repeated vomiting associated with blood, green or yellow fluid, or weight loss/poor weight gain
• Frequent sensation of food or liquid coming up into the back of the throat or mouth
• Heartburn
• Swallowing problems, including discomfort with the act of swallowing, pain with swallowing, or sensation that food gets stuck on the way down
• Breathing problems, including wheezing, chronic cough or recurrent pneumonia, hoarseness, or asthma
• Regurgitation
• Sour or bitter taste in the mouth
• Water brash (salty-tasting saliva)
• Sore throat
• Need to clear throat frequently
• Irritability

In teenagers, GERD symptoms include:

• Repeated vomiting associated with blood, green or yellow fluid, or weight loss/poor weight gain
• Frequent sensation of food or liquid coming up into the back of the throat or mouth
• Heartburn
• Swallowing problems, including discomfort with the act of swallowing, pain with swallowing, or sensation that food gets stuck on the way down
• Breathing problems, including wheezing, chronic cough or recurrent pneumonia, hoarseness, or asthma
• Regurgitation
• Sour or bitter taste in the mouth
• Water brash (salty-tasting saliva)
• Sore throat
• Need to clear throat frequently
• Irritability

It's easy to confuse GERD with occasional heartburn, so it's important to talk to your child's doctor about these symptoms. The doctor may recommend a diagnostic test to determine if acid reflux is the cause of your child's symptoms. He or she also can provide important lifestyle and treatment information for GERD. If left untreated, GERD sometimes can lead to a more serious condition, so work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan that fits your family.

How Kids with GERD Feel

The recent Parents' Perspectives on GERD online survey polled 205 parents of children ages 1-17 with GERD to better understand parents' views, behavior, and knowledge about their child's condition. The survey found that childhood acid reflux disease poses many challenges for families, from sleeping routines and social life to school performance and eating habits.

The survey also revealed that many parents wished they had more resources to understand and manage GERD.

Here are some survey highlights:

How GERD Affects Kids' Eating Habits

• More than a quarter of parents (27%) surveyed said that planning meals for a child with GERD can be stressful.
• Four in ten parents said keeping their kids away from foods that aggravate symptoms is difficult.
• According to parents, foods that are greasy (42%), spicy (41%), and fried (38%) are the most problematic and also the hardest for kids to avoid.
• In addition to being common GERD triggers, greasy and fried foods can make it more difficult to maintain an ideal weight, another factor that can aggravate GERD symptoms.
• Seven out of ten (72%) parents said their child's eating habits have been affected by GERD, yet only half (51%) have changed the way their child eats to accommodate GERD limitations.

How GERD Affects Kids' Lifestyles

• More than half (53%) of parents reported that their child's school performance had been affected by GERD in the past year, which evoked feelings of anxiety (40%), anger (40%), and depression (18%) in their kids.
• Seven out of ten (69%) parents reported that GERD affected their child's sleeping habits, and more than half (51%) said this led to feelings of anxiety, anger, or depression.
• Nearly half (48%) of parents reported that their child's social activities are sometimes affected by GERD.

How GERD Affects Older Kids Compared to Younger Kids

• Parents of kids 12-17 years old are even more likely to report that their child's eating habits are affected by GERD compared to parents of kids 1-11 years old (80% versus 67%).
• Parents of older kids (12-17) find that greasy foods (52%) aggravate their child's GERD and are difficult for them to avoid. Spicy (51%) and fried (46%) foods have the same effect on their children.
• Parents of children in the 12-17 range were significantly more likely than parents of younger kids to indicate that their child's school performance had suffered because of their condition (65% versus 47%).
• Parents of kids ages 12-17 were more likely (78%) to report that their child with GERD experiences feelings of anger, frustration, anxiety, or depression due to social activities being affected by GERD versus kids ages 1-11 (56%).