medical
Last reviewed 01/2018
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Medical treatments of Crohn's in children are similar to adult treatment:
- 5 ASA - given orally or topically - ie per rectum
- immunosuppressive treatments, such as
- prednisolone - 1-2 mg per/kg/d (maximum 40mg a day) till remission occurs followed by gradual dose reduction over a period of 4-8 weeks (1)
- azathioprine – can be used as a first line agent in severe cases although it becomes fully effective after at least three months (1)
- cyclosporin
- antibiotics, particularly if there is anal involvement, for example metronidazole
- infliximab
- a prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label study showed that infliximab is effective in the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's in children (2)
Reference:
Reference:
- (1) British Society of Paediatrics Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN) 2008. Guidelines for the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Children in the United Kingdom
- (2) Hyams J et al.Induction and maintenance infliximab therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease in children. Gastroenterology. 2007 Mar;132(3):863-73