Pedi ulcerative colitis is an inflammation, or painful swelling, of the lining of the large intestine, or colon. The inflammation can wear away areas of the lining of the colon leaving sores or ulcers. These sores can be very painful and bleed. They can also cause the bowel to empty often with diarrhea.
Knowing where the inflammation is along the large intestine helps your child’s doctor to decide the type of ulcerative colitis your child has
Pediatric ulcerative colitis can be a chronic condition. This means that your child may have to manage their disease throughout their life. Some children have long periods of remission, sometimes years, when they experience few or no symptoms of the disease. However, the disease will usually come back at different times during your child’s life.
Symptoms can usually be well controlled with treatment and sometimes surgery can offer a cure.
We don’t know what caused your child to have pedi ulcerative colitis. Research suggests that the cause of IBD is a combination of 3 main factors:
though it is not known yet exactly how these three factors work together.
What we do know is that approximately 1.4 million Americans suffer from IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis). We know that Pediatric IBD can run in families, many children having a family member who also has the disease. We know that Pediatric IBD affects boys and girls equally and affects about 100,000 children just like yours.
Your child will have a physical exam and you will be asked to give a medical history. Your child’s doctor may also want to have some tests taken to help decide is your child has pediatric ulcerative colitis.
Blood tests can be used to look for:
Stool samples can be used to look for:
X-rays can be used to:
Endoscopy gives the doctor more information about your child’s pediatric ulcerative colitis by using a lighted scope to see inside areas of the intestine. Endoscopy is thought to be the best way to get a definite diagnosis.
Symptoms can begin slowly or come on suddenly and progress quickly. Your child’s symptoms can be very different at times from mild to serious. Symptoms can be well-controlled with proper treatment and surgery can offer a cure in some children.
Common symptoms can include:
Common complications of ulcerative colitis can include:
Children with pediatric ulcerative colitis can also have other problems like:
Some of these problems can get better during treatment for your child’s ulcerative colitis and others will need to be treated separately.
One of the most important health problems for children with Crohn’s disease is a lack of growth or delayed development. Childhood is a time when nutrition has the most significant impact on growth. If a child is not able to get enough calories and nutrients they will not grow and develop at a normal rate.
It is very important that the symptoms of this problem be found early and treated so that your child’s growth can return to normal.
Treatment of your child’s ulcerative colitis can include:
The goals of treatment are to:
Treatment of your child’s ulcerative colitis can depend on:
Though surgery can sometimes offer a cure for ulcerative colitis, symptoms can be well-controlled with proper treatment.
Your healthcare provider needs to know if your child has any of the symptoms in this list.
Remember, you know your child best. Trust your judgment. If your child is experiencing something that you are not sure about or that makes you feel uncomfortable, let your healthcare provider know right away.