|
|
|
| INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD)
|
My
child aged 12 years old has bloody stools since past 2 months.
He had been treated for diarrhea, dysentery, but to no avail.
What to do?
A.
The bloody stools which have remained since two months in a 12
year old child is a matter of concern, particularly so because
he has clearly been treated for diarrhea and dysentery. In such
a situation one should make a determined effort to make the diagnosis.
One
of the common conditions that mimic this would be POLYP. Rectal
examination will definitely give the diagnosis.
If
truly the bloody stools have not subsided inspite of routine treatment,
child must be examined (by sigmoidoscopy) to exclude inflammatory
bowel disease.
What
is Inflammatory Bowel disease?
A.
Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition where there
is inflammation of the large and or small intestine without a
definite cause, which has a tendency to recur. The commonest finding
on sigmoidoscopy is granularity, and tendency to bruise and bleed
to touch.
What
are the various types of IBD?
A.
The various type of IBD are
Ulcerative
colitis (UC)
Crohn's
disease (CD)
What
are the causes of IBD?
A.
The exact cause of IBD is not known. However are the pointers
towards these hypothesis. It may be that, there is no single cause,
and there may be more than one cause, acting in unison.
The
cause of IBD are
A.
ULCERATIVE COLITIS
1.
Infection
2.
Food allergy
3.
Environment
B.
CROHN'S DISEASE
1.
Infections
2.
Diet
3.
Genetics
4.
Psychosocial
When
do you suspect a child has IBD?
A.
One should suspect a patient to have IBD:
UC
: Child will complain of diarrhea, rectal bleeding,
passage of mucus and abdominal pain. Child can also have nausea,
anorexia and in severe cases may even vomit. There may also be
fever, anemia and weight loss.
Crohn's
disease : Child may have pain in right sided pain which is
recurrent and colicky in nature. There may also be pain during
defecation and pain may increase after defecation. Diarrhea, fever,
weight loss, bleeding per rectum may be other manifestations.
Page
1 of 2 Next
View Page 1 2
Last updated on 24-06-2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
