11/15/2017 InflammatoryBowelDisease

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KidsHealth>ForParents>InflammatoryBowelDisease AAA
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enespaol
WhatIsInflammatoryBowel
Enfermedadinflamatoria
Disease? intestinal
Inflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)isa
conditionthatcausespartsofthe
intestine(bowel)togetredandswollen.It'sachroniccondition,
whichmeansitlastsalongtimeorconstantlycomesandgoes.

Q&A
TherearetwokindsofIBD:Crohn'sdiseaseandulcerativecolitis.
Thesediseaseshavemanythingsincommon,butthereare
Recipes importantdifferences:

EnEspaol Crohn'sdiseasecanaffectanypartofthegastrointestinaltract
frommouthtoanus(wherepoopcomesout).Theinflammation
ofCrohn'sdiseasedamagestheentirebowelwall.

Ulcerativecolitishappensonlyinthelargeintestine,orcolon.
Itcausessorescalledulcersthataffecttheinnerliningofthe
colon.

WhatAretheSigns&SymptomsofInflammatory
BowelDisease? PartnerwithKidsHealth

Themostcommonsymptomsofinflammatoryboweldiseaseare
bellypainanddiarrhea.Othersymptomsinclude:

bloodinthetoilet,ontoiletpaper,orinthestool(poop)
CanDiabetesBe fever
Prevented?
lowenergy
weightloss
GivingTeensaVoice
inHealthCare
Decisions Inflammatoryboweldiseasecancauseotherproblems,suchas
rashes,eyeproblems,jointpainandarthritis,andliverproblems.
TeachingKidsNotto Childrenwithinflammatoryboweldiseasemaynotgrowaswellas
Bully otherkidstheirageandpubertymayhappenlaterthannormal.

HelpingKidsCope WhatCausesInflammatoryBowelDisease?
WithCliques
TheexactcauseofIBDisnotclear.Itisprobablyacombinationof
genetics,theimmunesystem,andsomethingintheenvironment
HowCanIHelpa
ChildCopeWitha thattriggersinflammationinthegastrointestinaltract.Dietand
Parent'sSuicide? stressmaymakesymptomsworse,butprobablydon'tcause
inflammatoryboweldisease.

WhoGetsInflammatoryBowelDisease?
IBDtendstoruninfamilies.ButnoteveryonewithIBDhasafamily
historyofthedisease.Inflammatoryboweldiseasecanhappenat
anyage,butisusuallydiagnosedinteensandyoungadults.

HowIsInflammatoryBowelDiseaseDiagnosed?
Inflammatoryboweldiseaseisdiagnosedwithacombinationof
bloodtests,stool(poop)tests,andXrays.Medicalimagingtests,
suchasCTscansandMRI,mightbedonetoo.

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11/15/2017 InflammatoryBowelDisease
Thedoctorwillexamineastoolsampleforthepresenceofblood,and
mightlookatthecolonwithaninstrumentcalledanendoscope,a
long,thintubeattachedtoaTVmonitor.Inthisprocedure,called
acolonoscopy,thetubeisinsertedthroughtheanustoallowthe
doctortoseeinflammation,bleeding,orulcersonthewallofthe
colon.Duringtheprocedure,thedoctormightdoabiopsy,taking
smallsamplesthatcanbesentforfurthertesting.

HowIsInflammatoryBowelDiseaseTreated?
IBDistreatedwithmedicines,changesindiet,andsometimes
surgery.Thegoaloftreatmentistorelievesymptoms,preventother
problems,andpreventfutureflareups.

Adoctormayrecommend:

antiinflammatorydrugstodecreasetheinflammation
immunosuppressiveagentstopreventtheimmunesystemfrom
causingfurtherinflammation
biologicagentstoblockproteinsthatcauseinflammation
nutritiontherapytogivethebowelachancetoheal

Becausesomemedicinesmakeithardertofightinfections,it's
importantthatyourchildbetestedfortuberculosisandhaveall
recommendedvaccinesbeforestartingtreatment.

Surgerymaybenecessaryif:

thebowelgetsahole
thebowelbecomesblocked
bleedingcan'tbestopped
symptomsdon'trespondtotreatment

WhatElseShouldIKnowAboutInflammatory
BowelDisease?
Poorappetite,diarrhea,andpoordigestionofnutrientscanmakeit
hardforpeoplewithinflammatoryboweldiseasetogetthecalories
andnutrientsthebodyneeds.ChildrenwithIBDshouldeatavariety
offoods,getplentyoffluids,andlearntoavoidfoodsthatmake
symptomsworse.Somechildrenmayneedsupplements,like
calciumorvitaminD.Kidswhoarenotgrowingwellmayneed
additionalnutritionsupport.

KidsandteenswithIBDcanfeeldifferentandmightnotbeableto
dothethingstheirfriendscando,especiallyduringflareups.Some
strugglewithapoorselfimage,depression,oranxiety.Theymay
nottaketheirmedicineorfollowtheirdiet.It'simportanttotalkto
yourhealthcareprofessionalifyou'reconcernedaboutyourchild's
mood,behavior,orschoolperformance.

ParentscanhelpteenswithIBDtakeonmoreresponsibilityfortheir
healthastheygetolder.

TheCrohn'sandColitisFoundationisagoodresourceformore
informationandsupport.

Reviewedby:J.FernandodelRosario,MD
Datereviewed:October2017

ForParents ForKids ForTeens

MOREONTHISTOPIC
Crohn'sDisease
UlcerativeColitis
ImmunizationsandIBD
TransitionofCare:InflammatoryBowelDisease
CeliacDisease
IrritableBowelSyndrome(IBS)
DigestiveSystem
Constipation

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11/15/2017 InflammatoryBowelDisease
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