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Somatic development disorders of children with non specific inflammatory bowel diseases
Katarzyna Pawłowska1, Barbara Iwańczak
1II Katedra i Klinika Pediatrii, Gastroenterologii i Żywienia, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 50/52, 50-369 Wrocław, tel.: (71) 770-30-45,
Insights
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in children often cause malnutrition, leading to growth failure and bone density deficits. Early diagnosis and nutritional support are crucial for managing these somatic development issues in pediatric IBD patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Nutritional Science
- Pediatric Endocrinology
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are increasingly diagnosed in developing nations.
- Pediatric patients account for approximately 25% of IBD cases, frequently presenting with weight loss and stunting.
- Nutritional deficiencies and inflammation in IBD disrupt tissue metabolism, impairing somatic development in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on somatic development disorders in pediatric IBD.
- To analyze the interplay between nutritional status, bone mineral density, and growth failure in children with IBD.
- To explore the influence of inflammatory, nutritional, and therapeutic factors on growth retardation.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on pediatric IBD and somatic development.
- Analysis of factors contributing to malnutrition, including digestive and absorptive disorders.
- Examination of the impact of inflammation and treatment on muscle, bone, and overall growth.
Main Results:
- IBD is associated with significant nutritional abnormalities, including muscle mass deficiency and impaired bone mineral density.
- Growth failure and stunting are common manifestations, often appearing early in the disease course.
- Recurrent disease activity and pharmacological treatments can hinder the normalization of somatic features.
Conclusions:
- Somatic development disorders, such as growth failure and bone deficits, are critical complications of IBD in children.
- Understanding the complex relationship between inflammation, nutrition, and treatment is essential for managing pediatric IBD.
- Interventions targeting nutritional status and inflammation are vital for improving long-term outcomes in growth and development.
Abstract:
Frequency of inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) tends to increase in developing countries. Nearly 25% of cases affects pediatric patients. Inflammatory bowel diseases are often associated with weight loss and stunting in children. Moreover, weight and height deficiencies are often early symptoms. Initially, nonspecific or latent course of disease delays the diagnostic process. Malnutrition in inflammatory bowel diseases can be caused by disorders of digestion and nutrients' absorption, intestinal loss, increased energy expenditure and appetite impairment. Nutritional deficiencies and inflammatory agents lead to disturbance of tissue metabolism - muscle and bone - and retardation of somatic development of affected children. Thus, deficiencies of muscle mass, bone mineral density and body height are observed. Insufficient normalization of somatic features may be the consequence of recurrent nature of disease and specificity of pharmacological treatment. Present work deals with the current state of knowledge concerning the somatic development disorders of children with inflammatory bowel diseases. Abnormal nutritional status, bone mineral density deficits and growth failure of patients have been discussed in the context of their relations and dependencies on inflammatory, nutritional and therapeutic factors.
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