JAKARTA - Complaints such as repeated vomiting, frequent belching, abdominal pain, and chest pain in children are often considered as a common digestive disorder.
Not a few parents think that this condition is only caused by excessive stomach acid production so that its handling is more focused on giving stomach acid reducing drugs.
In fact, experts warn that the complaint can also be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is a condition when the stomach contents go back up the esophagus. If it occurs repeatedly and is not handled properly, GERD can interfere with activity to the child's quality of life.
According to Eka Hospital MT Haryono Children's Gastroenterohepatology Consultant, Dr. Eva Jeumpa Soelaeman, Sp.A(K), there are still many incorrect assumptions about the causes of GERD in children.
"GERD is actually not a stomach disorder, excessive stomach acid. So the muscle valve that doesn't want to shut down, it's open all the time," he said at a media briefing held at Blok M, South Jakarta, recently.
He explained, between the esophagus and the stomach there is an muscular valve that serves to prevent food and stomach fluid from going back up. In children with GERD, the valve does not close perfectly so that the stomach contents are more easily refluxed into the esophagus.
When this condition occurs, children can experience various complaints, ranging from vomiting, excessive burping, feeling hot or pain in the chest, to abdominal pain. In some cases, the symptoms can even resemble respiratory disorders or make children lose their appetite.
In addition to anatomical factors, daily habits can also increase the risk of reflux. One of them is to immediately engage in physical activity after eating. According to dr. Eva, this condition is quite common in school-age children who have limited rest time so that they rush back to play after lunch.
Ideally, children are given time to sit or rest for a moment after eating so that food can go down to the stomach properly. Conversely, running or doing heavy activities immediately after eating can make it easier for the stomach contents to go back up the esophagus.
Another habit that also needs to be considered is to immediately lie down or sleep after eating. When the stomach is still full, a flat body position can increase the pressure on the valve so that reflux is easier to occur.
In addition, the use of clothing that is too tight in the abdominal area and activities with a head position lower than the body can also trigger an increase in stomach contents.
Although acid-reducing drugs are often used to relieve complaints, Dr. Eva reminds that treatment should not only focus on reducing acid levels.
"Well, so what is given the medicine now is a medicine to lower the stomach acid. In fact, the pain is the valve. But the reason they have, there is also a reason, it is that the rise causes the pain is the stomach acid. So we just lower the stomach acid, but the valve is not closed," he explained.
Therefore, periodic evaluation is important to know whether reflux still occurs or valve function begins to improve.
According to him, the examination can be adjusted to the condition of each child. Not all patients require invasive procedures such as endoscopy, because these examinations are generally carried out when there are certain indications, for example to see if there are wounds in the esophagus or to assess the possibility of other causes such as allergies.
Dr. Eva also developed an examination method using ultrasonography (USG) to help monitor reflux without exposure to radiation. With this approach, doctors can assess the development of the child's condition so that the length of therapy can be adjusted to the needs.
He reminded parents not to consider all complaints of vomiting as normal. If the child experiences repeated vomiting, frequent belching, chest pain, or recurring abdominal pain, it is best to consult a doctor immediately so that the cause can be known.
Understanding the causes of GERD is considered important because treatment is not only aimed at relieving symptoms, but also addressing the source of the problem so that complaints do not continue to recur.
In addition to medical therapy, simple habit changes such as regulating meal times, avoiding heavy activity after eating, and not lying down immediately can be an initial step to help maintain children's gastrointestinal health.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
