ABSTRACT
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) refers to the retrograde movement of gastric contents into the esophagus. Brief episodes of GER occur in normal infants, children, and adults. When refluxed material passes into the pharynx and out the mouth, then "spitting up" or vomiting occurs. In a small number of infants, GER may cause disease (GERD) characterized by chronic symptoms (Table I). These include I) malnutrition from inadequate caloric intake due to discomfort or from calorie loss due to vomiting, 2) esophageal symptoms of pain, inflammation and bleeding, and 3) airway symptoms of hoarseness and laryngitis, cough, apnea, and exacerbation of asthma or pneumonia. Establishing a clear relationship of any of these disorders to GER in an individual patient generally requires ruling out other potential causes of the disorder and subsequently demonstrating improvement following treatment of GER.
