Heartburn is called discomfort and burning in the chest. It can appear for various reasons in both adults and children. Toddlers usually show anxiety, point to the area of the chest where there is burning pain. Heartburn in children can be from foods, and sometimes it indicates a digestive tract disease. The causes and treatment of this ailment in babies are described in the article.
What it is?
Heartburn is scientifically called gastroesophageal reflux disease. This is a chronic disease often encountered in children with changes in the mucous membrane of the esophagus. This phenomenon occurs due to the reverse casting of the contents of the stomach into the throat. There are 3 degrees of severity of symptoms: mild, moderate, severe.
Can there be heartburn in children? This phenomenon is common, as in adults. The reasons may be different, but in any case it causes discomfort, therefore, it is urgent to eliminate it.
Why does it appear?
What are the causes of heartburn in children? Burning in the esophagus appears due to the following reasons:
- With gastritis, which develops due to malnutrition of the child. If fatty, junk food is often consumed, there will be a violation of the epithelium, which leads to inflammation of the mucous membrane. So there is intense abdominal pain and belching.
- If there is an esophagitis characterized by inflammation of the digestive system. When it appears burning pain and belching. Symptoms occur 2 hours after a meal.
- Reflux gastritis manifests itself in the form of heartburn if a child takes medications with iron or potassium for a long time. In addition to burning in the throat, nausea and vomiting appear.
- Heartburn in a child occurs due to a malfunction of the sphincter. In a newborn, this can be a congenital pathology, while in older children this is a consequence of malnutrition - abuse of fatty foods, fast food, seasonings, chips, breadcrumbs.
- With a hernia of the esophageal opening, heartburn may occur, since with this ailment, an incomplete development of the diaphragm is observed. The child begins vomiting, after which there is a burning sensation in the esophagus.
- Heartburn in children manifests itself from inappropriate clothing - tight trousers, jeans, a belt.
Risk factors
In the newborn age, heartburn appears due to the influence of the following factors:
- Down syndrome;
- short or narrow esophagus;
- obesity
- premature birth;
- cerebral palsy;
- food allergies;
- tobacco smoke.
This may be due to traumatic brain injury, difficulties with emptying the stomach, treatment with certain medications, hernia. Whatever the risk factor may cause heartburn, it is necessary to eliminate this unpleasant symptom so that it does not cause discomfort to the child.
Symptoms
How to determine that children have heartburn? It is necessary to pay attention to the behavior and mood of children. Anxiety, crying after eating can be symptoms of burning in the esophagus.
In infants, the disease can be recognized by their behavior at night: there is a restless sleep or insomnia. Older children complain of nausea, pain in the jaw, heart and stomach.
Diagnostics
To determine the cause of heartburn, a diagnosis is necessary, which can be of the following types:
- X-ray Thanks to this procedure, the patency of the esophagus, the appearance of the mucous membrane of the organ is assessed.
- Endoscopic examination. It is prescribed to determine morphological changes and motor disorders.
- Histological examination. It is used for esophageal papillomatosis, suspected metaplastic process. Another procedure is prescribed for the risk of malignancy of the esophagus tumor.
Which diagnostic option to choose should be decided by the doctor. Heartburn in a child of 5 years, older and younger can be eliminated with timely examination and treatment.
First aid
If a child has heartburn, what should I do? First you need to provide first aid to eliminate severe pain in the esophagus. The child should drink mineral water, infusion of chamomile or dog rose. Get rid of the discomfort with the help of the drug "Almagel", which must be given to the baby in the amount of 1 tsp. It is necessary that the child swallows saliva, so to increase its production he is given an acidic product.
Severe burning pain in the esophagus is eliminated with the help of boiled meat. If no methods work, calling vomiting helps. Heartburn not only appears after eating, but can also be evidence of a serious illness. Therefore, with the help of first aid it will be possible to eliminate the pain, but it will not be possible to cure its root cause.
If such a symptom manifests itself regularly, parents should consult a doctor and undergo a diagnosis. Do not self-medicate, otherwise it can lead to complications.
Treatment
Treating heartburn in children includes several methods. First, you need to organize the regime of the day so that there is a full sleep at night and a short one at lunch time.
Nutrition is important for the baby’s health, and only well-chosen foods can be easily absorbed and not cause discomfort. Therefore, the child’s menu should not contain a lot of sweet, spicy, fried, sour and fatty foods. Do not drink carbonated drinks. Medicines and traditional medicine help.
Therapeutic measures
If this unpleasant sensation appears in a newborn, then you must first consult a doctor who will prescribe suitable medications. From heartburn to a child, drugs usually help. On their own, parents can provide the following help:
- Feeding should be performed at an angle of 45-60 degrees.
- At night, the baby is laid so that the head is raised 10 cm.
- Feeding should be performed with coagulated or condensed mixtures with gluten, amylopectin and other thickeners.
Help for older children is as follows:
- Remove fat, ice cream, fried foods, fatty meat and fish from the child’s diet.
- Limit onion, pepper, garlic.
- Reduce consumption of confectionery, chocolate, and muffin.
- Reduce the intake of sour berries, vegetables, fruits.
- Include in the menu cereals from whole grains, bran bread and low-fat varieties of fish, meat.
- Add low-fat dairy products to the diet.
- It is important to increase the number of meals up to six times, but the portions should be small.
- The last dose should be no later than an hour before bedtime.
- After eating, there should be sedentary games.
- So that the stomach does not overtighten, children should wear loose things made from natural materials.
Medicines
If a child has heartburn, how to treat it? The doctor can prescribe medications, guided by his condition, age. From the age of twelve, Rabeprazole capsules and Nexium tablets have been prescribed.
Still prescribed drugs such as Omeprazole, Almagel, Relzer. Children from three years old are allowed to take Iberogast, which is a herbal medicine. Therapy is prescribed depending on the type of reflux, so self-medication is prohibited.
Surgical method
With a severe form of the disease, an operation is performed. Typically, the method is used for burning pain, when complications are dangerous for the child. Surgical intervention consists in artificially strengthening the lower valve of the esophagus.
Food
If there is heartburn in newborns, parents can independently provide the following assistance before contacting a doctor:
- feed the baby at an angle of 45-60 degrees;
- feeding is carried out with coagulated or condensed mixtures containing gluten, amylopectin and other thickeners.
Older children need to adjust their diet, remove foods that cause heartburn. These include:
- oranges
- bow;
- garlic;
- lemon;
- pepper;
- fried food;
- fatty meat and fish.
Fresh pastries, ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese can lead to burning pain. It is necessary to exclude the intake of cranberry juice, orange, grapefruit, as well as coffee and strong tea.
The diet should consist of foods that cannot lead to heartburn. These are bananas, watermelon, sweet apples, mashed potatoes, rice, oatmeal, and buckwheat cereal. Cream cheese, low-fat sour cream and goat fat are suitable for children's diets.
ethnoscience
Not all parents prefer to use medication for treatment. In this case, traditional medicine will help:
- Crush walnuts and give them 1 tsp. daily. This product will be the prevention of this unpleasant symptom.
- The child is given a tincture with bitter wormwood. It will take 1/3 tsp. plants, which are filled with boiled water (one glass). The tool is left for a day. Then drink the liquid in small sips throughout the day.
- Apple cider vinegar can eliminate burning pain in the esophagus. It will take 1 tbsp. l vinegar and warm water (0.5 cups). After mixing, you need to give the child a drink in small sips.
- To eliminate burning behind the sternum will allow potatoes. The vegetable should be peeled and grated, then squeeze the juice and drink 2 tablespoons 15-20 minutes before eating.
- At the first symptoms of heartburn, the child should be given a glass of water with one spoonful of aloe juice.
- Eliminate severe burning will allow sunflower oil (1 tsp.). You just need to drink it.
Complications
If there is no timely treatment, then the appearance of complications is likely:
- Barrett's esophagus;
- esophageal strictures;
- posthemorrhagic anemia.
Prevention
So that the child does not have heartburn, he must have proper nutrition. Do not use high-carb foods that increase acidity. It is necessary to exclude chocolate, carbonated drinks, coffee. You can not feed the child before bedtime, after eating you need to go for a slow walk.
Prevent the occurrence of heartburn by using the correct position in a dream. The head should be higher than the legs on the bed; for this, the bed should be raised or a pillow placed under the head and shoulders. If heartburn still appeared, it will be possible to neutralize it with drugs. Only they need to be selected on the recommendation of a doctor, and should be taken after carefully reading the instructions.
In pregnant
Regardless of the gender of the child, heartburn during pregnancy occurs frequently. This phenomenon occurs from greasy, spicy foods. Usually there are painful sensations when bending. There may be nausea.
Pregnant women should take medicine only after consulting a doctor. The specialist determines the duration of treatment, dose, frequency of use. Often pregnant women are recommended to use "Maalox", "Polysorb", "Rennie", "Almagel". These drugs quickly eliminate unpleasant symptoms, improving well-being.
Diagnosis of this condition is performed according to the patient's complaints and clarification of clinical symptoms. Only a doctor can prescribe an effective treatment method.