Progress in the treatment and outcome of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients

Abstract

The number of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), namely Crohn´s disease, ulcerative colitis and unclassified colitis, has rapidly increased in Western countries. Areas covered: This review discusses how the treatment of pediatric IBD patients has improved,with attention given to therapeutic quality and cost. The literature search covers Medline-PubMed and the Cochrane Library, with February 2016 as the last search dates. Similarly to what has been the trend in the management of adult IBD, pediatric IBD therapy has become more active than before. High use of immunosuppressants and the availability of biological therapeutic agents has helped to control the extensive and aggressive course of pediatric IBD. Full disease control at an early phase has advantages such as preserving normal child growth and development, maintaining overall good health and quality of life, as well as decreasing the psychosocial burden of the disease. Expert commentary: A key research direction is to tailor treatment modalities according to anticipated individual phenotype and disease course. Another is to reduce healthcare costs by decreasing the so-far high rate of surgery of pediatric IBD patients, and, instead, to develop a more active approach to treatment than before.

Crohn's disease should be considered in children with inflammatory oral lesions

“…Awareness of these conditions is vital to ensure early diagnosis, as treatment outcomes have been reported to be related to the time between the disease onset and the initiation of therapy (42). Disease control at an early phase can preserve normal child growth and development, maintain overall good health and quality of life (9,42,43).…”

Thalidomide as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease in children and adolescents: A systematic review

“…It has two common types, Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The prevalence of IBD has increased steadily worldwide, particularly in Western countries 2‐4 . The main clinical manifestations of IBD are repeated abdominal pain, diarrhoea and anal lesions.…”

Treating children with inflammatory bowel disease: Current and new perspectives

“…It comprises Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and IBD-Unclassified (IBD-U), and its incidence has increased steadily worldwide, particularly in Western countries[ 2 - 4 ]. The disease affects both children and adults, with current estimated prevalence of 2.6 million people in Europe and 1.2 million in North America[ 5 ].…”

“…When a child is diagnosed with IBD, achieving early remission has a positive impact on normal child growth and development, long-term remission and quality of life, thus reducing the psychological burden[ 2 ]. Children tend to present with a more aggressive course of IBD, therefore immunomodulators and biological treatments are used extensively[ 2 ].…”

“…Poor bone health, delayed puberty, and growth failure may go on to complicate these patients’ clinical management[ 2 , 6 , 12 ].…”