Thank you for your question. Yes absolutely, children can get Crohn's disease. If a child is suspected of having Crohn's disease, they really should get medical attention very quickly. Don't wait. This is a nasty disease and it requires prompt attention.
Providing the child gets regular medical attention, they can usually go on to live normal happy lives. The disease can actually affect any part of the child's intestinal tract and it can even affect the intestinal wall quite badly. Children get varying symptom including bleeding, tiredness, they can become feverish, experience weight loss, have a rash and diarrhoea.
The reason why it is important for them to get medical attention is that when the intestines becomes inflamed it can make it hard for food to pass through due to the narrow areas-these are known as strictures. Scar tissue can form and overtime this can build up requiring this section of the intestine to be removed. Unfortunately holds can sometimes appear in the intestine and these can lead to severe infections in the abdomen. The pain can be similar to a ruptured appendix.I know this sounds frightening but this is worst case scenario and hopefully will not be the case.
No one knows why Crohn's disease occurs; it is likely to be environmental and genetic. The immune system is likely to be involved too and there is a great deal of research underway currently.
On diagnosis, it is likely that the child will have to continue to take medication for the foreseeable future. There will understandably be more doctors appointments and even the potential for a hospital stay and treatment. But, equally there is every chance that the child can continue to live a full and productive life.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Annette
yesNEW by: Kat
I was only 10 and a couple of months when I was first diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. It was quite bad and I was suffering severe pain and weight loss, finding it hard to swallow and waking up at night in pain to go to the toilet. It was misdiagnosed as anorexia, which was ridiculous as I had never had any self-esteem issues.
It is most definately not easier to treat the younger you are, in fact as the years progressed it got worse, to the point where I was in hospital for months at a time and having to have TPN for several weeks, followed by enteral feeding for a couple of months.
I only went into remission after my illeocecal resection, and even now I take immunosuppressents daily and half of my diet is enteral nutrition.
So, to answer your question yes kids can get Crohns and if you think you child or a child you know may have it, seek help immediately. Take it from me, as a child it is one of the worst conditions to live with.
ex truckerNEW by: mark
Im told the younger you are the easier it is to get into remmision
kids and CDNEW by: Tod
I am a 53 yr old male and was diagnosed with CD at 11. I am having a wonderful and productive life especially with all the great treatments available now as opposed to when I was first diagnosed.
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