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Adolescent Rumination Syndrome

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology (S Orenstein, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Rumination syndrome is the non-purposeful regurgitation of recently ingested food from the stomach to the mouth, where it is either expelled or reswallowed. Adolescent rumination syndrome (ARS) is a rare condition of which many physicians are unaware. Patients often are misdiagnosed or undergo costly testing, and as a result, diagnosis and treatment are often delayed. While ARS is not life-threatening, it does have medical and emotional effects on the patient and the patient’s family. Diagnosis of ARS is based upon the Rome III diagnostic criteria. Antroduodenal manometry, while not required for a diagnosis, can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis. The pathogenesis of this disorder is complex and not well understood. However, because of its behavioral component, treatment of ARS requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes both medical management of symptoms and implementation of strategies that address behavioral, psychological, and general quality-of-life components of the disorder.

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Conflict of Interest

Hayat M. Mousa, Mary Montgomery, and Anthony Alioto declare no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Correspondence to Hayat M. Mousa.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pediatric Gastroenterology

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Mousa, H.M., Montgomery, M. & Alioto, A. Adolescent Rumination Syndrome. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 16, 398 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-014-0398-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-014-0398-9

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