Dr. Ashwinikumar D Kudari

If you are finding certain symptoms like stomach pain, cramping, frequent diarrhoea, weight loss of your child or fever, then there are chances that he is suffering from Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is a bowel disease that causes swelling and inflammation along the digestive tract of your child. Mostly, it affects the end of the small intestine, but it can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus.

Causes behind the disease: It is not common in children, but if your child is showing symptoms, then one of the following may be the reason:

1. Immunity system of the child,
2. Genetics, and
3. Environment.

The main cause behind such a disease can be any of the above. However, it has been found that if you have someone suffering from this disease in the family, then your child has more chances of getting affected by it.

Diagnosing Crohn's disease: If you find the above-mentioned symptoms in your child, then it is better to take him or her to a doctor. Mostly, this disease is chronic in nature, meaning that it will continue even if it is treated. However, with proper treatment the symptoms can be reduced.

1. Different lab tests that include a blood test for blood count and white blood cell count, and stool test to look for the bacteria that cause the inflammation and urine.
2. X-Ray for detecting whether your child is suffering from Crohn's disease and what is the exact position of it in the digestive tract.
3. If further required, they may do an endoscopy to find out the exact location and get more details.

Complications arising out of Crohn's disease: If your child is suffering from this disease and is left without treatment for long, he or she may suffer from the following complications.

1. When the disease thickens, it may obstruct the intestinal walls by swelling of the intestine. Thus, the space from where the digestive matter passes becomes less and may lead to bowel obstruction.
2. Fissures may develop at the mucus membrane of the anus.
3. Fistulas or ulcers can occur as they tunnel through the affeced area to the nearby tissues. All these are painful for your child to bear.
4. Your child cannot absorb the nutrients of the food like any other child and hence there are chances that they suffer from nutritional deficiencies.

With such problems that may not seem very huge in the beginning, your child may lose his appetite and forget about normal living. Thus, the moment you find any such symptoms, discuss them with your doctor.