Complaints about symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in infants are common in pediatric practice, but few data exist regarding their natural history. This study describes the prevalence of overt GER during the first year of life. METHODS: Office survey of parents of 1294 well infants under one year of age. A shortened and revised form of The Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire (Clin Pediatr 32:472, 1993) was distributed in 19 Chicago area practices. RESULTS: Data are% of infants positive for symptom indicated (all 3 p < 0.001).Table

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Peak reported regurgitation at least once/day was 67% at 4 mo. Reports that regurgitation was a “problem” were associated with the amount and volume of regurgitation, reported discomfort with spitting up, frequent back-arching, increased crying/fussiness, choking and gagging with feedings, abdominal/stomach pain, and irritability with feeding (multiple logistic regression analysis, p < 0.001). Reported medical intervention for spitting up included 9% changed formula, 4% thickened feedings, 1.5% stopped breast feeding and 0.4% received medication. CONCLUSIONS: Complaints of regurgitation are common during the first year of life, peaking at 4 mo of age. Many infants “outgrow” overt GER by 7 mo, and most by one year. Parents view this symptom as a “problem” more often than medical intervention is given.