Pyloric Stenosis - Symptoms and Causes
Pyloric stenosis is a condition that affects newborns between the ages of birth and six months, causing violent vomiting and dehydration. In infants, it is the second most prevalent issue that necessitates surgery. The pylorus is the lowest region of the stomach that links to the small intestine.
Pyloric stenosis is a narrowing of the pylorus, the small intestine's entry from the stomach. A gastric outlet obstruction is another name for this sort of blockage.
Food normally flows readily from the stomach into the duodenum via the pylorus valve. Pyloric stenosis is a rare disorder that prevents food from entering the small intestine in babies.
A muscle valve (pylorus) between the stomach and small intestine normally keeps food in the stomach until it is ready to move on to the next stage of digestion.
The pylorus muscles stiffen and grow unusually big in pyloric stenosis, preventing food from reaching the small intestine.
Forceful vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss are all symptoms of pyloric stenosis.
Babies with pyloric stenosis may appear to be constantly hungry. Pyloric stenosis can be treated with surgery.
Among the warning signs are:
⦁ After eating, you vomit.
⦁ The infant may vomit up to several feet away, ejecting breast milk or formula.
⦁ Vomiting may be minor at first, but when the pylorus aperture narrows, it may become more severe.
⦁ The vomit may contain blood on occasion.
⦁ The hunger won't go away.
⦁ When a baby has pyloric stenosis, he or she generally wants to eat right after vomiting.
Constriction of the Stomach
Soon after feeding but before vomiting, you may detect wavelike contractions (peristalsis) that ripple across your baby's upper belly. The stomach muscles are straining to drive food through the restricted pylorus, which causes this.
Dehydration is a common ailment. Your infant may weep without crying or get drowsy. You could notice that you're changing fewer wet diapers or that they're not as moist as you'd like.
⦁ Bowel movement changes. Because pyloric stenosis inhibits food from reaching the intestines, newborns with this illness may have constipation.
⦁ Problems with weight. Pyloric stenosis can prevent a newborn from gaining weight and even cause weight loss in rare cases.
When should you see a Doctor?
Consult your baby's pediatrician if he or she has any of the following symptoms:
⦁ After eating, a projectile vomits.
⦁ Is less active or irritated than normal.
⦁ Urinates less frequently or has fewer bowel motions than usual.
⦁ Is it not gaining or losing weight?
Diagnosis
The problem is generally detected before the kid reaches the age of six months. Dehydration may be detected through a physical examination. When pushing over the stomach, the doctor may identify the aberrant pylorus, which feels like an olive within the belly. An abdominal ultrasound may be the first imaging test done. A barium X-ray to reveal the shape of the stomach and pylorus is one of the other tests that may be performed.
Factors that are at Risk
The following are some of the risk factors for pyloric stenosis:
Pyloric stenosis is more common in boys than in females, especially in firstborn children.
Pyloric stenosis is more prevalent in northern European whites, less prevalent in African-Americans, and uncommon in Asians.
Premature newborns are more likely to develop pyloric stenosis than full-term newborns.
According to studies, certain families have a greater incidence of this illness.
Pyloric stenosis affects around 20% of male offspring and 10% of female descendants of mothers with the illness.
Smoking during pregnancy is not advised.
Pyloric stenosis can be virtually doubled as a result of this tendency.
Early antibiotic use. Babies are given certain antibiotics in the first weeks of life — erythromycin to treat whooping cough, for example — have an increased risk of pyloric stenosis. In addition, babies born to mothers who took certain antibiotics in late pregnancy may have an increased risk of pyloric stenosis.
Bottle-feeding. Some studies suggest that bottle-feeding rather than breastfeeding can increase the risk of pyloric stenosis. Most of the people who participated in these studies used formula rather than breast milk, so it isn't clear whether the increased risk is related to formula or the mechanism of bottle-feeding.
