Is Your Child Growing Slowly? It Could be a Sign of Crohn's Disease

A lag in growth could be a sign that a child might suffer from undiagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially Crohn's disease, one pediatric doctor says.

"Growth charts are one of the most important things we look at with children because sometimes a slower growth rate is the only sign of IBD, especially with Crohn's disease," Dr. Marc Schaefer, a pediatric gastroenterologist, said in a Penn State University news release.

Symptoms of IBD in children

Other symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in children include:

not wanting to eat
persistent stomach pains
diarrhea or bloody stools

Children with these symptoms should be evaluated, he suggests.

Day 1: Just Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease

Symptoms of Crohn's disease in children

Crohn's disease can happen at any age. Although it most often affects people ages 15 to 35, it may also occur in young children. It affects both males and females equally.

Children or teens may have Crohn's if they exhibit the following symptoms:

Belly (abdominal) pain, often in the lower right area
Loose stool (diarrhea), sometimes bloody
Rectal bleeding
Weight loss
Fever
Delayed growth
Joint pain
A cut or tear in the anus (anal fissure)
Rashes

Some children can go years without experiencing any symptoms. This means they are in remission. There is no way to know when your

child is in remission or when their symptoms may return.

Crohn's vs. ulcerative colitis

Blood tests and endoscopy are also used to diagnose and to distinguish Crohn's from ulcerative colitis, another type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes rectal bleeding, Schaefer adds.

The causes of Crohn's and ulcerative colitis aren't clear, but it is known that family history plays a role.

"If a family history of IBD is present, there is an increased risk for a child to get it, but it's not definitive. It is difficult to predict," Dr. Tolulope Falaiye, also a pediatric IBD specialist at Penn State Hershey, said in the news release.

Even within families, symptoms and severity of the disease can vary widely. While some people manage to control the condition for a long time after the first flare-up, others have recurrences.

"We always tell families it is a lifelong condition," Schaefer says.

Another cause of IBD may be that a virus or bacteria is affecting the body's infection-fighting system (immune system). This means your child's immune system may have an abnormal inflammation reaction in the intestinal wall that doesn’t stop.

Many children that have Crohn's may have an abnormal immune system, although experts are uncertain if immune problems cause the disease or if Crohn's causes immune problems.

Triggers

Certain foods or a stomach bug can trigger symptoms in some people with inflammatory bowel disease, but

there is no special diet that cures it, according to Schaefer.

When to see a doctor

The symptoms of Crohn's disease may look like other health problems. Therefore, it is important that you see your child's healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Your child may be checked for signs of Crohn's disease if he or she has had long-term:

Belly (abdominal) pain
Loose stools (diarrhea)
Fever
Weight loss
A loss of healthy red blood cells (anemia). This can make your child feel tired.

Your child’s healthcare provider will take a health history and do a physical exam. The following are tests for Crohn's disease that can confirm whether or not your child has Crohn's:

Blood tests
Stool culture
Endoscopy
Colonoscopy
Biopsy
Upper GI series or barium swallow
Lower GI series or barium enema
CT enterography or MR enterography
Capsule endoscopy

How to treat Crohn's disease in children

There is no cure for Crohn's, but these four goals will help control it:

Correct nutritional problems
Control the swelling and inflammation
Ease symptoms such as belly pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding
Keep complications from occurring. These include tunnels of inflammation to other organs (fistulas) and narrowing of the intestine (stricture) that causes blockages.

Your child’s healthcare provider will create a care plan based on:

Your child's age, overall health, and medical history
How serious your child’s case is
How well your child handles certain medicines, treatments, or therapies
If your child’s condition is expected to get worse
Your opinion and what you would like to do

How to help your child

Helping your child with Crohn's disease will involve working closely with their healthcare provider. Make sure they are checking the following in your child on a regular basis:

Growth
Nutrition levels
Bone mineral density
Risk for infections
Immunization status
Any liver, eye, or skin problems

You should also monitor your child and make sure they are keeping up with whatever treatment method their doctor put in place, ie. diet, medicine, etc.

If your child experiences any of these symptoms whether they are new, changed or recurring, contact their doctor: