Babies who spit up and display symptoms of irritability are easily diagnosed with reflux, but others may not spit up at all. This is called silent reflux. Babies with silent reflux may exhibit other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), such as fussiness or poor feeding habits.
Problems feeding
They may gag and cough while sucking, seem "fussy" and move away from the breast or bottle, or they may refuse to eat at all. Alternatively, some reflux babies will "snack" a lot, either because feeding hurts and they stop, or because more milk going down and pushing acid back down is calming.
Causes of Silent Reflux
If the sphincter does not close properly, acidic stomach contents can flow back into the esophagus, up to the throat and larynx. Risk factors for developing LPR include: Alcohol and/or tobacco use. Certain food choices such as fried or spicy foods.
Silent reflux can be just as hard to cope with as regular reflux. While there may not be sick to clean up, feeding can still be difficult. It's normal to feel disheartened, but rest assured that this phase should pass as your baby's digestive system develops.
A baby suffering from Silent Reflux will often have bouts of unexplained crying and show obvious signs of discomfort. They may also suffer from: gagging and choking episodes.
Silent reflux in babies
Even though there isn't any spitting up, they may show other symptoms similar to reflux, such as crying or being unsettled after feeds, or having a cough or hoarse voice.
Silent acid reflux can be a very tricky disease to diagnose and it's possible to be mistaken for asthma, allergies, or even a common cold. Typically, if the symptom persists, or if it worsens after a meal, then it is a good indicator that you may be suffering from silent reflux disease.
The majority of babies with reflux will outgrow their symptoms by 12 months, though it may linger until closer to 18 months in some cases.
Silent reflux can be diagnosed using endoscopy. After you are sedated using anesthetics, your physician will insert a long, thin tube with a small camera attached at the end into your mouth, down your throat, and into the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (first part of the small intestine).
Acid concentration in the stomach is higher at night. The baby is likely lying down, so there is no assistance from gravity to help keep the contents of the stomach down.
The best way to burp a baby experiencing reflux is by holding them with their tummy side against your chest and burping them over your shoulder. This will allow for removal of trapped gas and acid from your baby's system before giving them further milk to drink.
It is a physiological process that occurs several times a day in healthy infants. Gastro-oesophageal reflux: is common, affecting at least 40% of infants. usually begins before 8 weeks of age, peaks at 4 months and resolves by 1 year of age in majority of cases.
The difference between acid reflux and silent acid reflux is that acid reflux results in acid traveling back up the esophagus whereas with silent reflux acid moves into the pharynx, larynx, or voice box.
In adults, silent reflux can scar the throat and voice box. It can also increase risk for cancer in the area, affect the lungs, and may irritate conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis.
Most babies can thrive despite having silent reflux but do seek medical attention if your baby has a frequent cough, breathing difficulties (such as wheezing, labored breathing or if your baby's lips turn blue), persistent ear pain or difficulty gaining weight.
However, in laryngopharyngeal reflux the stomach acid refluxes through the esophagus and into the back of the throat. This can cause damage to the larynx, vocal chords and lungs. For this reason, silent reflux damages the upper-aero digestive tract while GERD damages only the esophagus.
Breastmilk oversupply or forceful let-down (milk ejection reflex) can cause reflux-like symptoms, and usually can be remedied with simple measures.
Half of all infants visibly spit up at least once per day. Even more babies experience silent reflux, which is when stomach contents spill only partway up the throat and go down again without coming out of baby's mouth.
The differences between silent reflux, reflux disease and colic. Reflux, silent reflux and reflux disease are the same thing. The symptom that happens in all three is that there is a regurgitation of stomach contents into the oesophagus, which can cause heartburn-like pain.
Additionally, a medical study found that the 'non-nutritive' sucking (sucking without feeding) with a dummy can improve the rate the stomach empties and also decrease the number of reflux episodes in a group of premature infants.
The best sleeping position for a newborn baby with reflux is on their backs (supine position), even better if they lie on a surface with an incline angle of about 30 degrees. If their head and chest are elevated slightly in relation to the rest of their body, the backflow of milk from their stomach is reduced.
If you feel the constant need to clear your throat, then reflux could be adding to the problem. Belching – belching is a common symptom of low stomach acid and this symptom often goes hand in hand with silent reflux.