The gastrointestinal tract is responsible for the intake, digestion and absorption of food. Children under the age of two are prone to a wide variety of gastrointestinal diseases. The most common of these are diarrhea conditions which are usually non-serious. Parents should be watchful for the signs of various other diseases that can affect children. While many of these conditions can be treated by simple measures, others are serious and may require emergency surgery.
Infectious Diarrhea
The most common gastrointestinal problem in children is diarrhea. The most common cause of this condition due to a viral infection of the small intestine. According to "Nelson's Pediatrics," diarrhea is most common between 6 to 11 months. Most diarrhea is treated by giving plenty of fluids. Parents should take their children to the doctor if she has persistent diarrhea, is dehydrated, has a fever or has blood in her stool.
Congenital Abnormalities
The intestine can be affected by a variety of congenital diseases. Cleft lip and cleft palate are common malformations of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Esophageal atresia is an anomaly in which the esophagus does not open into the stomach. Similarly, intestinal atresia prevents food from passing into the small intestine. Anal atresia is characterized by a lack of an anus, which prevents defecation. Hirschsprung's disease is a condition affecting the nerves of the large intestine, leading to severe constipation. All of these conditions are treated by surgery.
Congenital Pyloric Stenosis
Though the term has the word "congenital" as a part of its name, this disease is not present at birth. If commonly occurs at around six months of age and is characterized by repeated, forceful vomiting. It is due to thickening at the outlet of the stomach which blocks the passage of food to the intestines. The disease must be treated by surgery.
Intussusception
Intussusception is a severe disease in which part of the intestine gets telescoped, or goes inside another part. This condition is most common between 3 to 6 months of age. It may be started by an intestinal infection which alters the texture of the small intestinal lining. Children with this condition have a sudden onset of stomach pain. This may be followed by vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Sometimes the disease can be treated by passing a tube through the anus, which can open up the intestine again.
Acid Reflux
Acid reflux can occur in children. As in adults, the disease is due to backwards flow of contents from the stomach into the esophagus. Symptoms include spitting up food, coughing, refusing to eat and weight loss. The condition begins within the first few months of life and usually resolves by the first year. Treatment includes holding the baby upright before and after giving food and giving the baby smaller, but more frequent, feeds.
Food Allergy
Food allergies are an unusual gastrointesintal problem in children being weaned off of breast milk. According to FamilyDoctor.com, 90 percent of food allergies are due to tree nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. Common symptoms of food allergy include irritability, spitting up food, diarrhea and poor weight gain. Parents should give introduce new foods slowly to a weaning infant to identify any possible allergies.
References
- "Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics"; Dr. Robert M. Kliegman, et al.; 2008
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Diarrhea
- MayoClinic.com: Infant Acid Reflux
- FamilyDoctor.Org: Food Allergies - Just the Facts
