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A Multidisciplinary Approach to Infants With GERD-Like Symptoms: A New Paradigm

Mark H Fishbein1, Jessica Kronberg2, Stephanie Alvarado3

  • 1From Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|April 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Many infants with GERD-like symptoms actually have dysphagia or colic. A multidisciplinary evaluation by speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists is recommended for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Gastroenterology
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-like symptoms in infants are often misdiagnosed.
  • Anti-reflux medications are frequently ineffective and overprescribed for these symptoms.
  • Symptoms may be more accurately attributed to dysphagia and unsettledness/colic.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of dysphagia and unsettledness/colic in infants presenting with GERD-like symptoms.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach involving speech-language pathologists (SLP) and occupational therapists (OT).

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 174 full-term infants under 6 months with typical development was studied.
  • Infants with suspected dysphagia or colic/unsettledness underwent evaluation by SLP and OT, respectively.

Main Results:

  • Out of 109 infants with GERD-like symptoms, 46 had dysphagia, 37 had unsettledness/colic, and 26 had both.
  • These findings suggest a high prevalence of these under-recognized conditions.

Conclusions:

  • A multidisciplinary approach involving SLP and OT is crucial for evaluating infants with GERD-like symptoms.
  • Accurate diagnosis of dysphagia and colic can lead to more appropriate management.
Abstract

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