Loading...
Few studies have reported on the natural history of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in infants. To examine the prevalence and natural history of infant GER, 59 primary care pediatricians in Italy prospectively assessed consecutive healthy infants (age range, 1–12 months) who presented to their offices during a 3-month period.
Of 2642 infants, 313 (12%) received diagnoses of GER according to standardized criteria. Most (74%) received the diagnosis before age 5 months. Overall, regurgitation resolved in 99% of the 210 children who were followed every 2 months for 2 years, in 27% during the first 6 months of follow-up, in another 61% at 6 to 12 months, and in another 11% at 12 to 18 months. Symptom scores declined to 0 after an average of 8.2 mon…