Inflammatory bowel disease: diagnosis and treatment

The primary feature of IBD which distinguishes pediatric from adult patients is the presence of or potential for significant growth failure. Recognizing this complication before permanent stunting occurs is critically important. The onset of these disorders during childhood also means that many of these children will have a lifetime of disease and therapy, during both growing as well as reproductive years. The impact of this lifelong process on the psychosocial development of the child and adolescent also needs to be recognized and addressed. Treatments must be carefully considered for their chronic adverse consequences (side effects) as well as immediate benefits. This includes the risks of early, and likely repeated, bowel resections as well as potentially mutagenic or teratogenic medications. The resurgence of tuberculosis and other chronic intestinal infections, particularly in certain high-risk pediatric populations, requires a careful consideration of the differential diagnosis of IBD in children. Finally, promising therapies must be tested in children as well as adults to develop the most effective approach to controlling IBD in pediatric patients by taking advantage of potential age-related differences in intestinal immune barrier function.