By: Rebecca Morris-Ostrom for Reflux1After 19-year-old Ashlee Simpson’s pre-recorded vocal track began playing and Ashlee fled the set during her Saturday Night Live appearance, several stories began circulating. First, she blamed her band for cuing the wrong song, then for playing the wrong track (percussion instead of vocal). None of these explained why a recorded version was being played on a “Live” show.
Two days later, her father and manager Joe Simpson appeared on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show to offer up a reason: Ashlee had laryngitis as a result of severe acid reflux. Ashlee didn’t want to cancel her appearance on SNL, so she arranged to lip sync to the pre-recorded track. Joe Simpson insisted she had never lip-synced before in concerts and that he had made the decision to use the tapes. Ashlee, the younger sister of pop music and reality television starlet Jessica Simpson, also defended her actions this way on TV programs, including the Today Show.
The explanation may or may not be true—she appeared in skits throughout the show and performed two nights later, all with full voice—but she brought a lot of attention to the phenomenon of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in teens.
Until a few years ago, most doctors didn’t believe teens could even have acid reflux. Because of that, there is little information about the number of teens with reflux or their symptoms. Some doctors have noticed that reflux seems to run in families and that teens with GERD often had reflux as younger children.
Based on limited anecdotal evidence, symptoms in teens are a combination of those in children and those in adults: stomachaches, excessive belching, bad breath, and chest pain all indicate possible problems with reflux. Abdominal pain; breathing difficulty, chronic congestion and infection in the ear, throat, sinuses, and chest; and laryngitis are also common. Exercising, eating certain foods, consuming large portions, and lying down shortly after eating can exacerbate the symptoms.
The treatment options for teens are more limited than for adults. Although some medications may help, many are not approved for teen use. The most important actions are lifestyle changes, primarily avoiding foods that trigger reflux. Doctors also recommend against eating large portions and eating just before exercising or lying down. This may be hard for teens who want to get pizza with their friends on a weekend night.
The feeling of peer pressure or fear of shame may keep teens from talking about the problem, isolating them from other teens who may also suffer. There are online support groups where teens can find advice and others their age with reflux.
Whether Ashlee’s claims were legitimate or she was just caught in a “Milli Vanilli moment,” many people are hoping the fallout from the event will open up conversation about GERD in young people.
