Diarrhea, abdominal pain, backache, muscle and joint pain, skin problems or significant weight loss are some signs that may indicate an inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Diseases are incurable, chronic and degenerative diseases. To raise public awareness, on May 28 was celebrated worldwide day dedicated to these conditions each time they interact more with children and they have great clinical impact, social and emotional development.
On 28 May Day was celebrated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a group of inflammatory disorders of unknown cause affecting the gastrointestinal and include two defined conditions: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Although up to 25% of the patients know the diagnosis between 15 and 20 years, often considered a disease of adults are rarely taken into account in pediatrics. In Spain in the last 20 years the incidence has doubled and has risen from 10.5 to 21 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
These figures are increasingly under 5, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center (USA). In addition, because often the warning signs detected slow, many children go to gastroenterologists after months of repeated visits to their primary care physicians with symptoms mistakenly attributed to a viral gastritis or other gastrointestinal disease.
Late symptoms with emotional effects
Multi-frequent diarrhea stools per day (sometimes with blood and mucus), fecal incontinence, constant abdominal pain, backache, kidney, muscle and joint, skin problems, anal and vaginal fistulas very troublesome and resistant to treatment, and loss of appetitecausing weight loss and general weakness, aggravated by anemia, fever and poor absorption of essential nutrients.
Some patients require drugs constantly and never achieve a complete remission of their disease
These are the main symptoms that warn of IBD, either Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis, two major diseases covered by the concept, both caused by inflammation of the digestive tract. They differ mainly in the location of damage. The first affects the end of intestinodelgado (the ilium) and the principle of the large intestine (colon), but can affect any part of the digestive system. In addition, ulcerative colitis is confined to the colon.
The symptoms are recurrent, ie, alternating periods in which the person concerned is ill (shoots) with others in which the symptoms subside. This causes have days when the patient has no discomfort and others where it is unable to carry out daily activities. Outbreaks are unpredictable and produce, at times, anxiety and fear. They may limit the patient’s daily activities and affect their social life.
As for treatment, some patients require drugs constantly and never achieve a complete remission. Indeed, in some cases resistant to medical therapy, surgery should be resorted to, irreversible, requiring a stoma (opening between two organs).
Serious long-term
These inflammatory diseases are of genetic origin or from environmental factors, can have serious long-term consequences, some limitations, especially among the children. Pediatric patients may make exercise less, according to a recent study published in the journal «The Journal of Pediatrics» under «Exercise Capacity in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease».
In addition, those affected have twice the risk of developing venous thromboembolism, compared with the general population, according to a recent U.S. study published in the journal «Gut» and carried out in late 2010 in nearly 50,000 people. This work also confirmed the idea that children who have it show an impaired ability of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, even when in remission.
Significant progress
On World Day of IBD have emphasized the need to support research into these diseases. Although, at present, no cure, research programs and improve health education available and the quality of life of those affected. Researchers from Yale University (USA) published in the journal «Cell» a paper in which he discovered (in mice) a «sensor» as yet unknown, which regulates the composition of intestinal flora (whole bacteria located in the intestine).
An alteration of this regulation causes a drastic change in the balance of the intestinal environment, which allows bacteria to grow materialized in the form of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. The researchers say the discovery could have profound implications for understanding how to start IBD and how the microflora involved in its genesis, and the possibilities to new approaches for prevention and treatment.
RECURRENT ULCERS
Among the many interventions of specialists, with the recent World Day of digestive health, one of them related mouth sores or ulcers with inflammatory bowel diseases. Canker sores are generated before any digestive problem, usually by a lowering of defenses.Both as an initial symptom of diseases that cost diagnose, and because it is an affectation that can worsen any underlying condition (caries, vomiting …), experts recommend performing an analysis in plasma to discern the causes of its development. The rationale is that any type of oral pathology in the long term affects on the digestive system at all levels. A dental malocclusion (bite not good) or lack teeth in digestion and impact the entire digestive system.