IBD Diagnosis At Very Early Stages Of Life

At the age of 1.5 years, John started developing symptoms of IBD. His doctor dismissed the possibility of a severer condition by terming the condition acid reflux. At the age of 2 years, he was admitted to the hospital as his condition deteriorated. Other doctors used a pill cam to track the area of concern. He continued having stomach pains, constipation, and diarrhea during the early years of his life. At the age of six, John underwent a push endoscopy, which confirmed that he had Crohn’s disease.

Sophia started to have blood in her stools at the age of six months. Her doctor attributed this problem to milk protein allergy, which is pretty common in infants. By the age of 15 months, she had gained very little weight and no had no growth in terms of height. Her stools continued to contain blood. Her pediatric gastroenterologist found that she had anemia. Sophia then underwent colonoscopy, which revealed that she was suffering from IBD.

These are a couple of many cases in which IBD was diagnosed at very early stages of life. It’s quite alarming that the number of cases in which IBD is diagnosed at the age of six years or less is increasing. Disease course and progression throughout life when children are diagnosed with this condition are not quite known yet.

Another study looked at inflammatory bowel diseases at very young ages. This study also had support from Litwin IBD Pioneers initiative. During this study, experts tried finding whether or not IBD in younger children is severer than in older pediatric patients. The suggested an increase in the number of severe cases in younger children. Such patients also had persistent growth problems.

This study involved 971 patients with IBD at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The study found that:

• 229 patients at the age of six or less suffered from IBD.
• 221 patients between the age of six and ten suffered from IBD.
• 521 patients between the age of 10 and 18 suffered from inflammatory bowel disease.

The study suggested that IBD symptoms in younger children were severer compared to older children. Such children required surgical interventions more than other patients. Moreover, younger patients are not quite likely to respond to conventional therapies and medications.

Here are the findings of the study.

• More than half of the younger IBD (VEO-IBD) patients had Crohn’s disease.
• About 45% of VEO-IBD patients have inflammatory disorders in their colon. Most of the older children, on the other hand, had inflammation in their small bowels.
• Patients with VEO-IBD had to undergo more ileostomies and colectomies compared to older children.
• Common symptoms noted in VEO-IBD patients include severity in disease, failure of other medications, growth failure, perianal disease, and narrowing of the colon.
• Patients with VEO-IBD have had longer hospital stays compared to older children with IBD.

Overall, this study suggests that more immediate and targeted treatment may be required for children with VEO-IBD. Failing to get a proper diagnosis on a timely basis can land young fellows in deeper health trouble.