Rumination Syndrome

A syndrome is a group of symptoms that are characteristic of a particular disorder. The symptoms of rumination syndrome are repeated and effortless regurgitation of small amounts of food from the stomach. The food is then partially or completely rechewed and reswallowed or spit out. Episodes of rumination are not necessarily observable to others.

People with rumination syndrome typically do not experience heartburn, abdominal pain or nausea when the regurgitation occurs.

Rumination syndrome is relatively common in infants and people with mental disabilities, but also occurs in children, adolescents and adults with normal intelligence.

Individuals with rumination syndrome are often not accurately diagnosed, in part because many physicians are not familiar with this disorder and in part because people are often reluctant to discuss their symptoms.

Mayo Clinic doctors, in a review of adolescents and adults of normal intelligence treated for rumination syndrome, found that they had seen an average of five physicians and had symptoms for two to three years before they were correctly diagnosed and treated.

Rumination syndrome is frequently confused with bulimia nervosa, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and upper gastrointestinal motility disorders such as gastroparesis or chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.

Without treatment, rumination syndrome can adversely affect your quality of life and health, causing work or school absences, unhealthy weight loss, malnutrition, dental erosion, bad breath (halitosis) and significant functional disability.