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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Gut Problems Infant colic This is a term used primarily to describe the discomfort felt by an infant and the screaming that occurs, usually in the evening and often between the ages of 1-5 months. It is unclear whether this is a real phenomenon or whether it is discomfort due to a maturity problem of…

Gut Problems Constipation Normal bowel patterns are very variable in children of all age groups. Weaver and Steiner have shown that 85% of 1 to 4 year olds pass stools once or twice a day and 96% do so three times per day to once every other day. When there is delay in defaecation with…

Gut Problems Toddler’s diarrhoea Toddler’s diarrhoea is a diagnosis of exclusion when all other diseases have been excluded. It is very common in children between the ages of 1 and 5 years of age and is of no consequence. It simply is a reflection of the increased speed of transit of food going through the…

Gut Problems Gut infections These are commonly called food poisoning and cause problems either due to toxins presented to the gut by the bacteria or they are caused by viruses such as Rotavirus in infants or they are caused by parasites such as Giardia. They also can unmask disease such as inflammatory bowel disease and…