Awareness Campaign Targets Pediatric Reflux

Seven million people in the United States suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, and a large percentage of those are children.

Mark Gilger, M.D., director of gastrointestinal procedures at Texas Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and Lisa Otto, occupational therapist at Texas Children’s, are participating in a national campaign, “Gut Instincts: When You Know Something Is Wrong With Your Child” to educate caregivers and parents about GERD – a treatable, but sometimes difficult to recognize condition.

“Common symptoms of GERD in children may include heartburn which children often describe as chest pain, frequent vomiting, irritability with meals, abdominal pain and difficulty swallowing,” said Gilger. “It is important for parents and health care professionals to be on the lookout for symptoms of GERD so we can treat the condition and help ease the child’s pain and discomfort.”

Otto knows first hand about GERD – her children suffer from the condition.

“One of the biggest challenges with pediatric GERD for my family was recognizing the symptoms in order to seek a correct diagnosis,” said Otto.

“Gut Instincts” is a collaborative effort between parenting expert, Bill Sears, Ph.D., and the Pediatric/Adolescent Gastroesophageal Reflux Association.

– Texas Children’s Hospital

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