What is gastroesophageal reflux (GER)?
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is basically the movement of stomach contents up through the lower esophageal sphincter into the esophagus. Sometimes GER can lead to frank regurgitation of stomach contents out through the mouth. This is usually differentiated from vomiting. Vomiting occurs with abnormal forceful contractions of the stomach whereas GER occurs with the normal churning contractions of the stomach. Some amount of GER is normal and is considered physiologic or benign. Such episodes are brief, asymptomatic and self-limited. When GER causes symptoms or health problems it is considered pathologic and is sometimes then referred to as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Most infants have physiologic GER, which is manifested as “spitting up.” This is due to the lower tone of the lower esophageal sphincter in infants. Most infants stop spitting up before their first birthday. Children with neurological disorders are at much higher risk of having significant GER that persists pas
