Crohn’s disease is a lifelong condition. No treatment can cure it. But many people can control their disease and symptoms with medicines and careful choices about what they eat and drink. When other treatments are not enough, some children do need surgery.
Crohn’s Disease Treatment Options
No matter which option is right for your child, we have three treatment goals:
- Decrease swelling and redness in your child’s intestine.
- Help your child's intestine heal.
- Get rid of your child’s symptoms and ensure your child is getting good nutrition.
Medicines for Crohn’s disease
Your child may need medicines that:
- Decrease inflammation (aminosalicylates)
- Suppress the immune system (corticosteroids)
- Block the immune reaction that worsens inflammation (immunomodulators or immune system suppressors)
- Block immune system chemicals that increase inflammation (infliximab)
- Control bacteria growth (antibiotics)
- Control diarrhea
Nutrition and Crohn’s disease
If Crohn’s disease is making it hard for your child to get enough nutrients, the doctor may suggest that your child:
- Makes sure to eat a variety of foods from all food groups
- Takes certain supplements to boost nutrients
- Avoids foods that cause symptoms to flare up, such as spicy or high-fiber foods
- Drinks a special liquid formula that’s high in calories
There may be times when your child needs bowel, or intestine, rest. This means eating either only certain foods or, in some cases, taking nothing by mouth. Resting the bowel gives it a chance to heal. Instead of eating by mouth, your child may be fed through:
- An IV (intravenous) line, which goes into a vein
- A nasogastric (NG) tube, which goes through the nose into the stomach
- A gastrostomy, an opening made in the wall of the belly that holds a tube or button so formula can be put directly into the stomach.
Surgery for Crohn’s disease
If medicines and changes in eating and drinking don’t control symptoms well enough, your child may need surgery. Surgery may also be needed if your child develops a serious complication due to Crohn’s disease. Some of these complications are:
- Severe bleeding
- Severe blockage
- Large or multiple fistulas, which are abnormal channels in the body
- Perforation or toxic megacolon
Overall, about two-thirds to three-fourths of people with Crohn’s disease need surgery for the condition some time in life.
Surgery does not cure Crohn’s disease, but it may help control problems linked with the disease. Surgeons remove sections of bowel where the disease is active. These are the sections that are causing symptoms. The goal is to remove problem areas while preserving as much of the intestine as possible.
There are many different operations for Crohn’s disease. Which one is right for your child depends on their condition and the specific area of the intestine that’s affected. Your child's surgeon will discuss these options with you. Together, you can come up with a plan that best suits your child.
Your child may need other types of surgery to treat complications of Crohn’s disease. For example, your child may need surgery to drain an abscess or repair a fissure. If the intestine is narrowed from scarring, your child may need surgery to make it wider (stricturoplasty).
No matter the procedure, the surgical team will explain what will happen before, during and after your child’s operation. They can also tell you how long it’s likely to take, how long your child may need to stay in the hospital afterward. and what kind of care your child will need at home.
Options for surgery include both open and laparoscopic (PDF 36KB) techniques. Your child's surgeon will help you decide which technique is best for your child.