Crohn's disease is also called "segmental enteritis" or "granulomatous enterocolitis” and may involve one or more segments of the digestive tract, from mouth to anus reach. In 25-40% of cases the disease begins before age 20. Recently the number of people affected (incidence) has risen to take on guideline values between 4 and 6 cases per 100,000 people.

The cause of this disease is unknown: the most reliable theories postulate an immune reaction (that has to do with the defense system of our body) campaign, in a host genetically (and loosely) defined as likely, from something that could also be a microorganism.

There is no evidence that dietary factors, environmental or predispose to allergic disease. Crohn's disease usually does not begin before 10 years of age; it is usually insidious and subtle, so that many months may elapse between the onset of symptoms of Crohn disease and diagnosis.

The disorder most frequently reported in the initial phase consists of abdominal cramps followed by diarrhea. A good portion of patients with this disease, onset, complain of intestinal symptoms of Crohn disease such as fever, poor appetite, slow growth, malaise and joint involvement.

Chronic perianal lesions (abscesses, fistulas, fissures) are an early sign, even when there is no reason to suspect a primitive intestinal disease.

Over time, however children with this disease develop abdominal pain and diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by bleeding. The situation may even worsen with intestinal fistula formation (abnormal distances between bowel loop and another). There are also signs and symptoms of other organs and systems arthritis (which affects the large joints), erythema nodosum (borne by the skin), inflammation of the iris, hepatitis: are rare and tend to deteriorate and / or improving in parallel with the degree of activity of the intestinal lesion. Over time the dominant signs of Crohn's disease are delayed pubertal maturation and growth retardation, problems that have great impact on adolescence.

There is, to date, effective and curative medical treatment. Even after surgical removal of the intestine affected by the disease, there are frequent recurrences (90% at 30 years after surgical resection). The drugs have a function other than palliative (cortisone for the treatment of acute exacerbation phase, other medications are reserved for the treatment of difficult cases) and therefore have a significant role to supportive measures. Should be encouraged to exercise, without excess, so that the child tends to be regarded as an invalid and must be made for a very nutritious diet.


May be necessary, in particular stages of the disease, "put to rest the bowel using the total parenteral nutrition (all nutrients are in other words infused intravenously) or the elemental diet administered through a tube that, through the nose, reaches the stomach.

This way you may be able to tackle the problem of retardation. This disease has a fluctuating trend over time, with phases of remission and exacerbation phases, without a uniform trend. Situations may arise in the intestinal lumen narrowing scar, which are solvable, however temporarily, with surgery.