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Published on: December 1, 2012

Specific considerations in the treatment of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Andrew B Grossman1, Robert N Baldassano

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA, USA. grossmanan@email.chop.edu

Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
|December 17, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) requires special care due to growth issues. This review covers IBD in children, focusing on nutritional and medical treatments for better outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
  • Childhood Nutrition

Background:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition often diagnosed in childhood or adolescence.
  • Pediatric IBD presents unique challenges including growth failure, malnutrition, and delayed puberty.
  • These complications impact a critical period of growth and development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the epidemiology and unique clinical complications of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  • To discuss current trends and recent advances in nutritional and pharmacologic treatments for pediatric IBD.
  • To project future therapeutic directions for managing IBD in children.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of epidemiological data on pediatric IBD.
  • Analysis of clinical complications specific to pediatric Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
  • Synthesis of current research on nutritional and pharmacologic interventions for pediatric IBD.

Main Results:

  • Children with IBD frequently experience growth failure, malnutrition, pubertal delay, and bone demineralization.
  • Optimized medical treatment is crucial for clinical improvement and reversing growth failure with minimal toxicity.
  • Nutritional therapies are vital alongside pharmacologic and surgical interventions.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric IBD necessitates specialized management strategies focusing on growth and development.
  • Advances in nutritional and pharmacologic treatments offer improved outcomes for children with IBD.
  • Future research should continue to explore innovative therapeutic directions for pediatric IBD.

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