While only 10% of babies who regurgitate suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) pathological in France, 80% of prescribed drugs are unnecessary according to a French study published in the European Journal of Pediatrics. The problem, in most cases, is a misdiagnosis. Too often, parents and doctors confuse simple regurgitations that happen after the bottle, at the time of the burp, and the true symptoms of pathological GERD, characterized by postponement up to two hours after bottle-feeding, irritated esophagus and heartburn.
It is the American pediatric society that points the finger at the problem: too many physiological GERD, and not pathological, are overtreated while a few simple hygiene and nutrition measures are sufficient to solve this problem. Often, you have to be patient: according to doctors, 85% of reflux disappears during the baby’s first steps.
Professor Frédéric Gottrand, co-author of the French study on the subject published in December 2012, explains to the Nouvel Observateur that “it is sometimes necessary to correct certain dietary errors. They are often voracious babies, and the faster they eat, the more they regurgitate. . No too tight diapers, put them in an upright position 45 minutes after the meal … “
Among other things, these unnecessary treatments are not necessarily dangerous, but are expensive for the Health Insurance.
