Signs & Symptoms of Acid Reflux in Children

Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux, is harder to identify in children than in adults, but there are telltale signs and symptoms parents can look for.

Features

• Acid reflux at its most basic is the return of stomach contents at least part way up the esophagus. Adults recognize this occasional feeling as heartburn, but children experience other signs and symptoms at different ages. Repeated occurrences of reflux might lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in people of any age.

Normal Reflux

• Before a child's first birthday, babies' stomachs are slow and their stomach valves are still loose, so even large amounts of spit up are common and not associated with a disease or extensive stomach irritation.

Symptoms in Babies

• The main symptom of a baby with acid reflux is spit up with burping. When spit up becomes projectile vomiting or appears chronic and constant, GERD might be diagnosed. Some common symptoms are arched backs, irritability when lying on the back, continued crying, poor weight gain and cough or wheeze from contents that enter the windpipe.

Symptoms in Older Children

• Some telltale signs reflux has progressed to GERD include persistent weight loss, refusal to eat food despite hunger, frequent spitting up or vomiting after the first birthday, a chronic cough with possible wheezing if stomach contents entered the windpipe, and bad breath or cavities because of acidic contents returning to the mouth.

Considerations

• There is no test a pediatrician can use to definitively diagnose normal acid reflux or chronic GERD in children. Although evaluating the stomach lining and valve could potentially confirm irritation or a loose valve, most children are diagnosed when pediatricians evaluate symptoms the parents notice at home.