Posts Tagged ‘Gastrointestinal’

Pediatric Crohns Disease

04.08.10

Delayed growth is a well-established feature of pediatric Crohns disease. Several factors have been shown to affect growth, including disease location, severity, and treatment. The recently discovered NOD2 gene has been correlated to ileal location of Crohns disease and subsequently could affect growth through the resulting phenotype or as an independent risk factor.

The aim of our study was to determine if growth retardation is affected by genotype independently of disease location or severity. Crohns disease is an inflammatory bowel disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

Approximately 500,000 Americans suffer from Crohn’s, and it is estimated that at least 150,000 of them are children under age 17.  In children, the disease usually presents between 12 and 16 years of age; however, it has been detected in children as young as 7 years old.

Both adult and pediatric Crohn’s patients may experience a number of symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain, fever, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite, and weight loss. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. If your child has been diagnosed with pediatric Crohn’s disease, talk to your child’s doctor about treatment with REMICADE.

Individual results may vary. Talk to your child’s doctor to see if REMICADE is right for your child.REMICADE is for children (ages 6-17) with moderate to severe Crohns disease who haven’t responded well to other therapies.

REMICADE has been approved for the treatment of pediatric Crohns disease, based on clinical research. Children with pediatric Crohn’s disease may have to deal with things that other children don’t — painful and sometimes embarrassing physical symptoms, eating and treatment regimens, doctor visits, and even occasional hospital stays.

Pediatric Crohn’s can have an impact of all aspects of a child’s life, including school, relationships with friends and family, and self-esteem. But by learning how to cope with the disease, they can still lead an otherwise happy, productive life. If your child has been diagnosed with pediatric Crohn’s disease, it is only natural to feel overwhelmed and scared.

Since this is a chronic illness (meaning that it doesn’t go away) that can involve painful and sometimes embarrassing symptoms, you may have questions:
• How will pediatric Crohn’s disease affect my child’s health and well-being?  Will it affect me and the rest of my family as well?
• Will this disease change my child’s appearance or interfere with normal growth?
• Will my child have to go on a special diet?
• What treatment is available for pediatric Crohn’s disease?

Crohn’s disease can have physical, social, and emotional effects on a child.  Physical symptoms of pediatric Crohn’s disease include growth problems, frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

Children and teenagers may find it especially hard to deal with a chronic disease like Crohn’s and its symptoms since they are already in the process of both physical and emotional development.
Because of the physical manifestations of pediatric Crohn’s, a child may face challenges both socially and emotionally. Below are some of the social and emotional challenges a child with pediatric Crohn’s may face.

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Crohns Disease Prognosis

12.09.09

Crohn’s disease is a life-long illness. The severity of the disease can vary, and a patient can experience periods of time when the disease is not active and he or she is symptom free. However, the complications and risks of Crohn’s disease tend to increase over time. Well over 60% of all patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery, and about half of these patients will require more than one operation over time. About 5-10% of all Crohn’s patients will die of their disease, primarily due to massive infection.

Endoscope
A medical instrument that can be passed into an area of the body (the bladder or intestine, for example) to allow examination of that area. The endoscope usually has a fiber-optic camera that allows a greatly magnified image to be shown on a television screen viewed by the operator. Many endoscopes also allow the operator to retrieve a small sample (biopsy) of the area being examined, to more closely view the tissue under a microscope.

Fistule
An abnormal channel that creates an open passageway between two structures that do not normally connect.

Gastrointestinal tract
The entire length of the digestive system, running from the stomach, through the small intestine, large intestine, and out the rectum and anus.

Immune system
The body system responsible for producing various cells and chemicals that fight infection by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other foreign invaders. In autoimmune disease, these cells and chemicals turn against the body itself.

Inflammation
The result of the body’s attempts to fight off and wall off an area that is infected. Inflammation results in the classic signs of redness, heat, swelling, and loss of function.

Obstruction
A blockage.

Ulceration
A pitted area or break in the continuity of a surface such as skin or mucous membrane.

Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person’s lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.)

People with Crohn’s disease may feel well and be free of symptoms for substantial spans of time when their disease is not active. Despite the need to take medication for long periods of time and occasional hospitalizations, most people with Crohn’s disease are able to hold jobs, raise families, and function successfully at home and in society

Crohns Disease Prognosis

08.05.09

Crohns disease is a life-long illness. The severity of the disease can vary, and a patient can experience periods of time when the disease is not active and he or she is symptom free. However, the complications and risks of Crohns disease tend to increase over time. Well over 60% of all patients with Crohns disease will require surgery, and about half of these patients will require more than one operation over time. About 5-10% of all Crohn’s patients will die of their disease, primarily due to massive infection.

Endoscope
A medical instrument that can be passed into an area of the body (the bladder or intestine, for example) to allow examination of that area. The endoscope usually has a fiber-optic camera that allows a greatly magnified image to be shown on a television screen viewed by the operator. Many endoscopes also allow the operator to retrieve a small sample (biopsy) of the area being examined, to more closely view the tissue under a microscope.

Fistule
An abnormal channel that creates an open passageway between two structures that do not normally connect.

Gastrointestinal tract
The entire length of the digestive system, running from the stomach, through the small intestine, large intestine, and out the rectum and anus.

Immune system
The body system responsible for producing various cells and chemicals that fight infection by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other foreign invaders. In autoimmune disease, these cells and chemicals turn against the body itself.

Inflammation
The result of the body’s attempts to fight off and wall off an area that is infected. Inflammation results in the classic signs of redness, heat, swelling, and loss of function.

Obstruction
A blockage.

Ulceration
A pitted area or break in the continuity of a surface such as skin or mucous membrane.

Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they are free of symptoms. However, the disease usually recurs at various times over a person’s lifetime. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped. Predicting when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return is not possible.)

People with Crohns disease may feel well and be free of symptoms for substantial spans of time when their disease is not active. Despite the need to take medication for long periods of time and occasional hospitalizations, most people with Crohns disease are able to hold jobs, raise families, and function successfully at home and in society.

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Colitis and Crohns

06.07.09

Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, describes two similar yet distinct conditions called Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. These diseases affect the digestive system and cause the intestinal tissue to become inflamed, form sores and bleed easily. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue and diarrhea.Crohns disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Patches of inflammation occur, with healthy tissue between the diseased areas.

The inflammation can extend through every layer of affected bowel tissue. Crohns disease can not be cured by drugs or surgery, although either or both can help relieve symptoms.Ulcerative colitis affects only the inner layer of the colon, or large bowel. It always starts in the rectum and may extend as a continuous inflammation from there into the rest of the colon. Usually ulcerative colitis can be controlled with medication. The disease can be completely eliminated by surgically removing the colon, but afterward, waste material may have to be stored and expelled through an external appliance.

While ulcerative colitis causes inflammation only in the colon (colitis) and/or the rectum (proctitis), Crohns disease may cause inflammation in the colon, rectum, small intestine (jejunum and ileum), and, occasionally, even the stomach, mouth, and esophagus.The patterns of inflammation in Crohns disease are different from ulcerative colitis. Except in the most severe cases, the inflammation of ulcerative colitis tends to involve the superficial layers of the inner lining of the bowel. The inflammation also tends to be diffuse and uniform. (All of the lining in the affected segment of the intestine is inflamed.) Unlike ulcerative colitis, the inflammation of Crohns disease is concentrated in some areas more than others and involves layers of the bowel that are deeper than the superficial inner layers. Therefore, the affected segment(s) of bowel in Crohns disease often is studded with deeper ulcers with normal lining between these ulcers.

The most common disease that mimics the symptoms of Crohns disease is ulcerative colitis, as both are inflammatory bowel diseases that can affect the colon with similar symptoms. It is important to differentiate these diseases, since the course of the diseases and treatments may be different. In some cases, however, it may not be possible to tell the difference, in which case the disease is classified as indeterminate colitis.

Currently there is no cure for Crohns disease and remission may not be possible or prolonged if achieved; in cases where remission is possible, relapse can be prevented and symptoms controlled with medication, lifestyle changes and in some cases, surgery. Adequately controlled, Crohns disease may not significantly restrict daily living. Treatment for Crohns disease is only when symptoms are active and involve first treating the acute problem, then maintaining remission.

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