Gut Problems
Viral Infections
I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas. Now that we are into the New Year, unfortunately the season is upon us for viral infections, and non-specific virial infections can cause problems for children in a number of ways, in terms of their gut and stomach. Non-specific effects such as poor fluid intake during temperature-related…
Read MoreAnxiety with medical conditions and procedures
Anxiety With Medical Conditions & Procedures Anxiety with medical conditions and procedures Sometimes parents and children have concerns or anxieties regarding medical procedure and it can help to talk to our Play Therapists or sometimes one of our Psychologists, and some of these videos can be helpful to just give you ways of dealing with…
Read MoreFocus on Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease is a condition in which the body gets confused between a protein in cereals, called gliadin, and the lining of our own bowel and therefore, in what is called an auto-immune way, the lining of the bowel is attacked by the antibodies in our own blood stream. It happens in more than 1%…
Read MoreThings That Summer Can Bring to Children From the GI Perspective!
Hay fever season is particularly noted for worsening allergic conditions involving the oesophagus, defined as eosinophilic oesophagitis, which is a bit like eczema of the oesophagus. This classically presents with reflux-type symptoms or sometimes swallowing difficulties, especially for solid food. If this happens then it is best to see a doctor, and with the swallowing…
Read MoreLactose intolerance
Gut Problems Lactose intolerance This is an absence of the enzyme lactase and is common in people from Mediterranean origin and those from the Indian sub-continent and also occurs in other populations. The best diagnosis is a hydrogen breath test (see investigations, and can be diagnosed with a test at endoscopy when a small piece…
Read MoreEosinophilic oesophagitis
Gut Problems Eosinophilic oesophagitis Eosinophilic oesophagitis is a newer condition which has arisen in the last 15-20 years and is particularly prevalent in children with an allergy background in the family or allergy themselves, such as eczema, asthma or hay fever.It is inflammation of the oesophagus diagnosed at endoscopy and can present with discomfort or…
Read MoreUlcers, gastritis and helicobacter pylori
Gut Problems Ulcers, gastritis and helicobacter pylori It is estimated that 50% of the developing world population are infected with this organism in the stomach lining. It is the organism responsible for the majority of duodenal ulcers in adults and children. It can cause inflammation of the stomach lining and ulceration and can be picked…
Read MoreCrohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
Gut Problems Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) Treatment is usually initially getting the condition under control with steroids such as Prednisolone followed by and in conjunction with Azathioprine.Although there is evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatories which are aminosalicylates, such as Pentasa and Asacol (Mesalazine type preparations) can be useful in getting the condition under…
Read MoreCrohn’s disease
Gut Problems Crohn’s disease Crohn’s disease is a condition named after a doctor, who first described this and it is an inflammatory condition, particularly prevalent in certain sections of the community and has in some circumstances a genetic predisposition.It is an inflammatory reaction set up by the body’s immune system which causes inflammation in the…
Read MoreUlcerative Colitis
Gut Problems Ulcerative Colitis Please see the Crohn’s disease section.Ulcerative colitis usually presents with diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort and blood in the stools and sometimes mucous.A calprotectin test of the faeces can be helpful in pointing towards the diagnosis which is made at endoscopy by ileo-colonoscopy and in ulcerative colitis there can be inflammation in the…
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