Crohns Disease In Children

Crohns Disease is an incurable condition that affects the digestive tract. The symptoms are often painful and if untreated can lead to more serious conditions down the line. Children, while not the age group most likely to suffer from Crohns, are potentially at the greatest risk from the disease.

Children and adults are diagnosed with Crohns using the same diagnostic procedures. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate Crohns from a host of other digestive disorders, however, once it is pinpointed, it can be treated. When dealing with children, it is important to remember that since Crohns can affect the absorption of nutrients into the body, the disease can potentially sabotage growth and development in a young sufferer. In addition, children may experience disruptions in their academic and social development due to frequent absences from school as Crohns Disease often causes cramping and severe abdominal pain.

It is important for parents to become familiar with all aspects of Crohns Disease and be able to relate them to their children. This process of communication is not only important for Children with Crohns are at high risk for problems with growth and proper sexual maturity. Furthermore, since they are often treated with various medications at an early age, the complications due to side effects from pharmaceutical drugs becomes much more prevalent.

The most common medication treatments for Crohns Disease in children include aminosalicylates, which are often used to treat mild to moderate cases. Corticosteroids are usually reserved for severe cases to reduce inflammation and hopefully drive the disease into remission. Corticosteroids are highly effective; however, they often result in serious physical and mental side effects.

Since one of the theories on the cause of Crohns Disease is infection within the digestive tract, antibiotics are often used to treat Crohns. The most accepted cause of Crohns Disease is an autoimmune response by the body. To counteract this overaggressive response by the body, immune suppressants are sometimes prescribed to ratchet down the bodys ability to attack itself. The risk of serious side effects is great so children taking these drugs have to be carefully monitored. Finally, biologic therapy, which consists of intravenously administering an antibody to fight Crohns, has been approved by the FDA. This class of drugs is adept at driving Crohns into remission.

The longer someone has Crohns the higher the likelihood surgery will become in the future. In fact, while the ultimate goal of medical doctors is to help Crohns patients avoid surgery, over half of the childhood victims of Crohns Disease require surgery in about ten to fifteen years after the condition manifests.

Sharon Dobson has an interest in Crohn's Disease. For further information on Crohn's Disease please visit http://www.natural-crohns-disease-relief.com/crohnsdisease.html or http://natural-crohns-disease-relief.com/blog/2006/09/13/you-are-what-you-eat-how-food-can-affect-crohns-symptoms/.Angela Blog97741
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