Chewing syndrome causes that previously swallowed food to flow back into the mouth involuntarily. It is a disease classified as a functional disorder of the digestive tract function, which can be considered quite mysterious - so far it has not been possible to clearly establish the causes of the chewing syndrome.

Rumination syndrome(also referred to asrumination syndrome ) is a persistent regurgitation of food. In the past, it was believed that the individual occurs only in infants, in children and adolescents, and in patients with varying degrees of mental retardation. Currently, it is believed that chewing syndrome also occurs in adults - it can affect anyone, but it is more often diagnosed in women.

Rumination syndrome: causes

The chewing syndrome is classified as functional disorders of the digestive tract, i.e. those in which there is no organic cause of the patient's ailments. Some studies have noted that patients suffer from dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter, but this does not explain the symptoms of this unit anyway - in fact, the specific cause of chewing syndrome is still unknown.

So far, several theories have appeared focusing on the pathogenesis of the rumination syndrome. They focus on various types of psychological disorders. For example, in infants, the cause of the problem would be the lack of attention paid to the child by the parents and the failure to develop the emotional bond between the child and its parents. In slightly older children, chewing syndrome can coexist with various mental disorders, such as eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression. Other hypotheses focus on experiencing some events that strongly affect the psyche, such as the loss of a very close person or undergoing extensive surgery. Some scholars believe that the rumination syndrome may develop in people who, for various reasons, often experience regurgitation (consciously) - this is the case, for example, in magicians or people involved in swallowing demonstrations.

Rumination syndrome: symptoms

The main symptom of chewing syndrome is the involuntary regurgitation of food from the stomach back into the mouth.This may occur at different times after the start of the meal, most typically regurgitation within 30 seconds of swallowing the food to 1 hour after the end of the meal. The exact course of disorders in different patients may be slightly different, in some people regurgitations occur after each meal, in others they appear only after certain specific foods.

It needs to be emphasized that the regurgitation in the chewing syndrome is typically not accompanied by vomiting or nausea, and that the returning food has no unpleasant taste for the patients. Some patients chew and swallow regurgitated food, other patients, in turn, feel the need to spit it out.

Sometimes ailments other than regurgitation appear in patients with rumination syndrome. These include:

  • stomach pains
  • constipation
  • diarrhea
  • belching
  • caries
  • weight loss
  • enamel erosion
  • halitosis (bad breath)
Worth knowing

The involuntary regurgitation of food contents from the stomach back into the mouth is most associated with vomiting. A somewhat similar phenomenon occurs in patients experiencing the so-called regurgitation - they involve getting swallowed food into the mouth, but it is not accompanied by a gag reflex.

Rumination syndrome: diagnosis

In order to diagnose the ruminant syndrome, it is necessary to exclude other, potential causes of symptoms occurring in patients. For this purpose, various tests may be performed, e.g. endoscopic assessment of the esophagus and stomach (which can eliminate any obstacles in the parts of the gastrointestinal tract that could lead to regurgitation of food). The main conditions that must be ruled out if rumination syndrome is suspected are bulimia nervosa, gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastroparesis.

Once the organic basis of the symptoms experienced by patients is eliminated, it becomes possible to make a diagnosis of rumination syndrome. However, it is important that patients must meet certain criteria, such as:

  • regurgitation during the last year must occur continuously for a minimum of 6 weeks,
  • the first episode of regurgitation occurs within 30 minutes of the end of eating a meal,
  • symptoms do not improve with treatment typical for gastroesophageal reflux,
  • regression of food bites subsides within 90 minutes of stopping eating.

Rumination syndrome: treatment

Likethe specific cause of the rumination syndrome, and the causal treatment of the individual is unknown. The most frequently recommended treatment for patients is cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as relaxation techniques and biofeedback. You can also alleviate the problem by practicing breathing with the diaphragm. In some patients, pharmacotherapy with drugs from the group of proton pump inhibitors is implemented - this procedure is used primarily in those who experience irritation of the esophagus by refluxing food.

Category:

Gastrology