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Aerophagia and rumination: Recognition and therapy

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Aerophagia and rumination syndrome are functional upper gastrointestinal disorders that are becoming increasingly recognized in otherwise-healthy children and adults. Aerophagia is primarily characterized by troublesome repetitive belching and abdominal symptoms that result from air sucking and swallowing. Rumination syndrome is primarily characterized by regurgitation occurring shortly after meal intake. Physiologic studies suggest that both disorders are a result of habitual behavior with associated esophageal and gastric physiologic deviations. However, the underlying etiology of these disorders remains unclear. Studies examining optimal treatments are lacking. However, therapeutic approaches utilizing biofeedback may be helpful in alleviating symptoms for patients with these conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 5144 Bioinformatics Building, CB #7220, 130 Mason Farm Road, 27599-7555, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Denesh K. Chitkara MD

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  1. Denesh K. Chitkara MD
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  2. Albert J. Bredenoord MD
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  3. Nicholas J. Talley MD, PhD
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  4. William E. Whitehead PhD
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Chitkara, D.K., Bredenoord, A.J., Talley, N.J. et al. Aerophagia and rumination: Recognition and therapy. Curr Treat Options Gastro 9, 305–313 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11938-006-0012-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11938-006-0012-9

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