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Prevalence of gastro‐esophageal reflux‐related symptoms in Japanese infants
Author(s) -
Miyazawa Reiko,
Tomomasa Takeshi,
Kaneko Hiroaki,
Tachibana Atsushi,
Ogawa Tetsushi,
Morikawa Akihiro
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1046/j.1442-200x.2002.01609.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vomiting , regurgitation (circulation) , pediatrics , reflux , gastro , disease
Background: To obtain precise information on the natural course of gastro‐esophageal reflux (GER)‐related symptoms in Japanese children, we surveyed the prevalence of regurgitation or vomiting and other GER‐related symptoms and complications in infants visiting for healthy baby check‐ups.Methods: We interviewed the mothers of 921 infants who had visited for baby check‐ups at 1, 4, 7 and 12 months after birth, about the number of regurgitation or vomiting episodes per day, other GER‐related symptoms, milk volume, feeding interval, and the body position after feeding.Results: Of 1‐month‐old infants, 47.1% had one or more regurgitation or vomiting episode per day. This proportion decreased to 28.8% at 4 months old and 6.4% at 7 months old. The proportion of infants with three or more episodes of these symptoms per day showed a similar pattern. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of regurgitation or vomiting between breast‐fed infants and formula‐fed or mixed‐feeding infants either at 1 or 4 months of age. There was no significant difference in the bodyweight gain of 3‐month‐old infants among those with various degrees of regurgitation. There was no significant difference in the frequency of regurgitation or vomiting episodes between infants placed in a vertical position and those placed in a horizontal position after feeding. No infant had a history of chronic coughing, wheezing, bleeding or other serious conditions.Conclusions: Regurgitation is a common symptom in Japanese infants and decreases spontaneously with age. The natural history of GER must be taken into consideration when deciding the treatment.