Introduction to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Children with IBD can have a wide range of symptoms before diagnosis.
One of the important aspects of IBD in children and adolescents is the potential impact of the bowel problems upon growth, nutrition and puberty development.
IBD is treated with:
- medicines to reduce inflammation and help prevent infection
- changes in diet
- and sometimes surgery.
The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms, prevent other problems and manage flare-ups.
Types of IBD
Crohn's disease (CD)
Crohn's disease (CD) can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the bottom. The most common part to be involved in children is the lower end of the small bowel (the terminal ileum).
The most common symptoms in children with Crohn's Disease are:
- abdominal pain
- diarrhoea
- weight loss.
Children can also have other symptoms before diagnosis. These include:
- weight loss
- not getting taller
- abdominal pain
- diarrhoea
- bloody diarrhoea
- mouth ulcers
- rashes
- sore joints
- lethargy
- anaemia and iron deficiency.
CD usually involves all the layers of the bowel wall, from the inside to the outer layer. When looking at the bowel wall under the microscope, there are some features that can be common with UC, but there are also some findings that are unique.
One of these is a finding called granuloma: these are clumps of particular inflammatory cells all joined together.
Ulcerative colitis (UC)
Ulcerative colitis (UC) involves the large bowel (colon). It can just be present in the lower parts (proctitis), parts of the large bowel, or even the whole of the large bowel. It is uncommon to have proctitis by itself in children.
UC is less common than CD in children.
The most common symptoms in children with Ulcerative Colitis is:
- diarrhoea with blood.
Children can also have other symptoms before diagnosis. These include:
- weight loss
- not getting taller
- abdominal pain
- diarrhoea
- bloody diarrhoea
- mouth ulcers
- rashes
- sore joints
- lethargy
- anaemia and iron deficiency.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unclassified (IBDU)
Sometimes people diagnosed with IBD may initially be termed to have "IBDU" if it is not obvious whether they have CD or UC at the time of diagnosis; over time it usually becomes clearer if they have CD or UC.