[Ulcerative colitis in childhood and its differential diagnosis]

Ulcerative colitis occurs before the age of 15 years in 20% and before 20 years in 40% of all patients involved. The frequency of this disease in patients at the University Children's Hospital of Munich has clearly risen over the past years. In many patients we found characteristic differences in history, clinical picture and laboratory results as compared with Crohn's disease. The most important diagnostic procedure is endoscopy of the entire colon. The histological examination of the biopsies taken during colonoscopy differentiated less clearly between these two entities than the macroscopic judgement by the endoscopist. The development of carcinoma must be considered even in children when the disease has lasted for seven years or longer. Ulcerative colitis must be differentiated from infectious diseases of the bowel by direct search for the relevant microorganisms and by serological testing.