When children get heartburn

Children can also suffer from heartburn

08/07/2013

Heartburn can have several causes. Sometimes the sequelae are bad. The eating behavior can often provide information about whether something is on the way.

If children complain about the feeling that they can no longer swallow the food and if there is a bitter taste in the mouth, it may indicate heartburn. Other signs such as pain in the level of the breastbone, hoarseness or a dry cough may be indicative of the disease, explains Ulrich Fegeler of the Professional Association of Children and Youth Physicians (BVKJ) in Cologne.
Just deep-fried or spicy food, mint and acid or caffeinated drinks can cause the discomfort.

What exactly happens with heartburn
The cause is a dysfunction of the sphincter between the stomach and the esophagus. He is either attacked or simply relaxes at the wrong moment. The acidic stomach contents flow up the esophagus causing irritation of the esophagus.

Causes of the stomach disease
The causes are on the one hand the lifestyle - Lush, sweet, fatty, sour food, alcohol, caffeinated drinks, smoking nervousness, stress, but also mental stress and tight clothing and obesity - identified. On the other hand, there are also morbid causes or their sequelae, which can be held responsible. These include:

Gastroesophageal Reflux - Reflux Disease
Esophagitis (Esophagitis)
Diaphragmatic hernia (hiatal hernia)
Spasm of the sphincter of the esophagus (achalasia)
Speiseröhrendivertikel
Barrett's esophagus
esophageal cancer
irritable stomach
gastritis
stomach ulcer
stomach cancer
Food intolerance.

Image: Hannelore Louis