Examples causing the above include:

• Chewing gum
• Drinking fizzy drinks
• Drinking alcohol
• Drinking to fast
• Drinking through a straw
• Eating to fast
• Eating too much
• Loose dentures
• Smoking
• Eating and/or drinking Dairy products
• Eating high fibre foods/medication  i.e. High-fibre cereals, Brans, wheats and breads, fibre (bulk- forming) laxatives
• High-fat foods
• Gluten intolerance
• Lactose intolerance
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Eating certain carbohydrate (take longer to digest and release more gases) and fatty foods
• Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (Blind loop syndrome), as it results from an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota, leading to excessive bacterial growth in the small intestine.

Certain carbohydrates:

• Artichokes
• Beans, lentils and pulses
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Pasta
• Corns
• Fructose containing products (i.e. fruit juices)
• Fruits i.e. apricots (depends on individual on which cause flatulence and belching)
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Gluten-containing wheat
• Sorbitol containing products (sweetener or sugar-free containing products)

Wind can also be caused by :

• Emotionally stressed, anxious and nervous
• Poor fitting dentures
• Sucking on pen tops
• Smoking
• Not chewing food properly (swallowing large lumps can cause more swallowed air)
• Disease: When food is difficult to digest i.e. food intolerance, constipation conditions and digestion conditions
• Medication

In babies under the age of two years old:

(The risk of heartburn is greater when)

• Premature birth;
• Parental history of heartburn or acid regurgitation;
• Obesity (overweight);
• Hiatus hernia;
• History of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (repaired);
• History of congenital oesophageal atresia (repaired) – rare birth defect that affects a baby’s oesophagus (the tube through which food passes from the mouth to the stomach). The upper part of the oesophagus doesn’t connect with the lower oesophagus and stomach. It usually ends in a pouch, which means food can’t reach the stomach;
• Underlying neurodisability;

Cause by other infancy related conditions:

• Overfeeding
• Cow’s-milk protein allergy
• Pyloric stenosis- problem that affects babies between birth and 6 months of age and causes forceful vomiting that can lead to dehydration.
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)- a breathing disorder where an infant’s lungs become irritated and do not develop normally.
• Malrotation -a birth defect link that occurs when the intestines do not correctly or completely rotate into their normal final position during development.
• Tracheo-oesophageal fistula- an abnormal connection between these two tubes. As a result, swallowed liquids or food can be aspirated (inhaled) into your child’s lungs.
• Constipation

The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, May 2022, Vol 308, No 7961;308(7961):
DOI:10.1211/PJ.2022.1.141848

Other condition to consider in babies:

Reflux and Regurgitation (when babies bring up feeds and food):

• Gastro-oesophageal reflux is very common (it affects at least 40% of infants);
• It usually begins before the infant is eight weeks old;
• May be frequent (5% of those affected have 6 or more episodes each day);
• Usually becomes less frequent with time (it resolves in 90% of affected infants before they are 1 year old);

The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, May 2022, Vol 308, No 7961;308(7961):
DOI:10.1211/PJ.2022.1.141848

Many young babies have bouts of acid reflux because their muscular valve keeping the food in the stomach has not properly developed yet.

Symptoms

• Bringing up milk or being sick during or shortly after feeding?
• Coughing when feeding?
• Hiccups when feeding?
• Unsettled and/or crying during feeding?
• Swallowing and/or gulping after burping?
• Swallowing and/or gulping after feeding?
• Not gaining weight (due to not keeping food down)?

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