What Is Rumination Syndrome?
Rumination syndrome is a peculiar condition that involves the routine regurgitation of partially digested or undigested food. Patients often re-chew and swallow the food or spit it out. People diagnosed with this disorder are not intentionally regurgitating food. While some may confuse the disorder for bulimia, the lack of intention differentiates it. Also, while behavioral therapy may correct the condition, the cause is not definitively psychological.
People who suffer from rumination syndrome may feel uneasy in their bodies, lacking control. Unfortunately, medical professionals do not yet entirely understand the condition or its main mechanisms. However, a plethora of information exists to help patients come to terms with the disorder, and treatments have proven effective in many instances. If you or a loved one has rumination syndrome, then the following FAQs can help you understand the diagnosis. Continue reading for helpful tips and treatment options.
1. What Are Common Signs of Rumination Syndrome?
There are several potential signs of rumination syndrome to the vigilant observer: chapped lips, weight loss, bad breath and tooth decay. If you notice any of these signs in a loved one, then you should ask further investigative questions about their dietary habits. You can ask them about digestive issues or stomach sensitivity. However, as these are delicate matters, ask questions in private and respect your loved one’s boundaries.
The most troublesome sign of this condition is rapid and unwavering weight loss. If you notice a loved one losing weight with no explanation, he or she may need a medical intervention. Again, the behavior, if due to rumination syndrome, is not purposeful. Do not accuse your loved one of neglect or self-abuse, but discuss your concern and ask for an explanation of the drastic weight loss.
2. What Symptoms Can You Expect?
If you are suffering from rumination syndrome, then you may experience abdominal pain or pressure, nausea, effortless regurgitation after eating, feelings of fullness, bad breath and unintentional weight loss. Regurgitation often occurs within 10 minutes after eating, and you do not experience retching. The discomfort in your stomach may subside after regurgitation. While the symptoms may not sound terrible, uncontrolled regurgitation can lead to life-threatening problems.
If left untreated and uncorrected, rumination syndrome can lead to rapid weight loss. Malnutrition and death are also possibilities if this condition is severe enough. The inability to keep food down is not natural, and whether the cause is psychological or physical, correction is necessary to ensure sustained and prolonged health. If you believe you are showing signs of rumination syndrome, contact a doctor for help.
3. How Does the Condition Develop?
The primary cause of rumination syndrome is unknown. However, research suggests a connection to abdominal pressure and weak pelvic floor muscle coordination. These connections are likely contributory, though, and not necessarily the underlying cause of the condition. There is also evidence to suggest that specific psychological conditions, such as anxiety and depression, may contribute to the syndrome’s development. Again, no definitive explanation exists, so patients must learn to cope and practice self-control.
While there is no clearly identified cause of the condition, some evidence suggests that people with developmental disabilities and psychiatric disorders are more prone to developing rumination syndrome. This knowledge has led to different approaches to diagnosis and treatment. As medical professionals now believe that the condition is psychosomatic, tests and treatments now revolve around behavioral and talk therapy.
4. How Is Rumination Syndrome Diagnosed?
Diagnosis is more about ruling out other possibilities. When you visit a medical professional with suspected rumination syndrome, the doctor is likely to perform a typical exam, including taking an oral history. You may be asked about symptoms, medications, medical history and stressors. Doctors may also perform a high-resolution esophageal manometry and impedance measurement to verify increased abdominal pressure.
The physician may order additional testing to rule out other causes of your symptoms. For example, an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) can help rule out obstructions in the small intestine, esophagus and stomach. The doctor may even use the EGD test to collect a tissue sample for further study. Another procedure a doctor may use to help identify or rule the syndrome is gastric emptying. During this procedure, your doctor times how long it takes food to empty from your stomach or travel through the intestines and colon, giving a picture of your digestive health.
5. What Treatments Are Used for Rumination Syndrome?
There are two treatment options for rumination syndrome: behavioral therapy and medication. Behavioral therapy is the leading treatment for this condition because it relies on habit recognition and reversal. Through the use of biofeedback, patients learn diaphragmatic breathing to help prevent abdominal contractions, which limits the chances of regurgitation occurring. Unfortunately, this form of therapy is often ineffective for patients with developmental disabilities.
Medication, while not the first treatment option, helps protect the esophagus from harm. Doctors may prescribe esomeprazole, omeprazole or other proton pump inhibitors, which protect the lining of the throat. Other medications exist that help to relax the stomach, reducing pressure after eating. For qualified patients, clinical trials of various medications are also making strides toward alternative treatment and management options.
6. How Long Will the Condition Last?
Psychiatric conditions, while often manageable, do not feature clear timelines. These conditions ebb and flow with the patient. Rumination syndrome may have physical symptoms, but the presiding hypothesis defines it as a psychological condition. Therefore, there is no definitive answer to how long the condition will last. A patient undergoing behavioral therapy and receiving medication may see an improvement in as little as a week. However, another patient, foregoing medical and psychological help, may experience symptoms for months or years.
Seeking treatment is essential. The longer the syndrome persists, the greater your odds of developing complications. Rumination syndrome can lead to desperate and critical health crises. If you believe you are experiencing symptoms of this syndrome, seek counsel from a licensed and practiced physician.
7. What Are Possible Dangerous Complications from Rumination Syndrome?
Early treatment is crucial to the successful recovery of rumination syndrome. Without medical and psychological intervention, patients risk several potential complications, the chief among them being malnutrition and death. When patients cannot eat and maintain nutritional minimums because of regurgitation, their bodies soon shows signs of wear. Their immune system weakens, and they physically mature at a slower rate. Weight loss may reach detrimental and irreversible lows resulting in death.
Thankfully, such lethal outcomes are rare. Most patients improve within a few months, with many never returning to the regurgitating habit or compulsion. However, even in the short term, the symptoms can lead to ulcers, dehydration, choking, tooth decay, aspiration pneumonia and other respiratory problems. Therefore, rumination syndrome often requires intervention from physicians and psychiatrists to curb or eliminate the behavior.
8. Who Usually Gets This Condition?
As with many aspects of rumination syndrome, it is difficult to stipulate an exact demographic. While there is plenty of data on the disorder occurring in children and those with developmental disabilities, the data is less precise when discussing older children or adults, although overall the disorder is rare.
There is evidence that older children and adults with psychological trauma or conditions may be more likely to experience rumination. Also, studies have shown that more boys experience the disorder than girls. However, the research on specific genders and social groups is not yet sufficient to indicate risks definitively associated with different populations. Most of the research available points to it being most common in children under 12 months, the developmentally disabled and those suffering from an underlying psychological condition like anxiety or depression.
9. Is There a Genetic Link to Rumination Syndrome?
When people hear the phrase psychiatric condition, they often assume there is a genetic link to a disorder. While there is evidence to suggest a genetic link to psychological issues such as anxiety and depression, no such relationship appears with the data on rumination syndrome. In fact, the syndrome can result from an illness, injury or emotional distress. Doctors do treat the disorder through behavioral therapy, but the condition can result from muscular habits rather than psychological problems, although underlying psychiatric issues can cause rumination.
The condition is rare, and from the data, it appears to occur most often in infants. Those who experience this syndrome later in life may have psychological conditions or developmental issues that contribute to its development. However, the good news remains that when caught early, it is reversible and treatable.
10. Will Rumination Syndrome Disappear Eventually?
All available evidence points to likely recovery from rumination syndrome. Most infants outgrow the condition within their first year of life, and older children and adults can learn habits to reduce and eliminate unwanted regurgitation. Those with developmental disabilities may struggle to alter habits through diaphragmatic breathing, but with supervision and medication, symptoms should subside. However, most successful recoveries require the help of doctors and psychiatrists.
Rumination syndrome is a disorder causing involuntary regurgitation of undigested food. Patients suffering from this condition may struggle to maintain essential weight and nutrition standards. If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of this disorder, contact your local doctor’s office to schedule a checkup.
