A 2 YEARS OLD BABY WITH RECURRENT VOMIT AND FOOD REFUSAL

Key words: Food aversion, GER, Restricted diet

This case report summarizes the clinical features, pathogenesis and treatment of food aversion through the story of a 2 years old child with recurrent vomit and food refusal. This is a common pediatric syndrome which implies the differential diagnosis between several conditions such as organic problems, relational disorders and iatrogenic causes. The latter could be synthesized by a new acronym IGARIS (Iatrogenic Ghost Allergy and Reflux Infant Syndrome) which comprehends the possibility of causing/sustaining food aversion by means of repeated medical interventions especially imposing unjustified restricted diets and/or “over-diagnosing” gastro-esophageal reflux (GER). This is a relevant issue both in term of prevalence and need of a specific treatment, especially to avoid vicious circles of over-diagnosis and over-treatment. Our case demonstrates the importance of a behavioral approach in a case of food aversion due to relational and iatrogenic disorders in order to help the child and his family to re-discover the enjoyment of food.