Gastrointestinal Conditions in Childhood

Gastrointestinal conditions in children include colic, constipation, gastroenteritis, hernias, worms, and bowel infections which cause diarrhoea, abdominal pain and sometimes vomiting.

Follow the links below to find information relating to gastrointestinal conditions in children.

Reviewed January 2008

Printer friendly page

Related HealthInsite Topics
Colic
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about colic.
Constipation in Children
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about constipation in children.
Gastroenteritis in Children
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about gastroenteritis in children.
Hernias
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on hernias, including hiatus hernias.
Malabsorption Syndromes
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on malabsorption syndromes, including lactose intolerance and coeliac disease.
Toilet Training
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on toilet training and related issues such as bed wetting.
Worms in Childhood
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on symptoms, prevention and management of worms in children.
23 Resources Found
Results 1 to 20 displayed.
1    2   
Title:   Abdominal pain
Publisher:   Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
Description:   Children often complain of pain in the tummy (abdomen). It can be a sign of illness, but often a child will have pain but not be unwell. Research has shown that up to 10% of children have abdominal pain which comes and goes. An illness causes the pain in only about 5% of these children.
Date:   Jul 2008
Title:   Anal fissure
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   An anal fissure is a tear or split in the lining of the anus (anal mucosa). Symptoms include pain when passing a bowel motion (poo) and bleeding from the anus. Treatment options include laxatives and surgery.
Date:   Oct 2007
Title:   Non surgical therapy for anal fissure
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Anal fissure is a painful ulcer usually occurring in the posterior midline of the skin just outside the entry to the rectum. Its persistence is due to spasm of the internal sphincter muscle. Relief with healing of chronic fissures until very recently ha...
Date:   Jul 2006
Title:   Reactions to food - food allergies
Publisher:   Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
Description:   Foods can cause a wide variety of reactions in children. It is important to get any illness or reaction checked by a doctor to be sure of the cause.
Date:   Jul 2008
Title:   Behavioural and cognitive interventions with or without other treatments for the management of faecal incontinence in children
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Children with "faecal incontinence" cannot control their bowel movements and so they soil their underwear. Sometimes people use the word "soiling" or "encopresis" to mean the same thing. Faecal incontinence can be caused by either physical or psychological problems.
Date:   Feb 2006
Title:   Reflux
Publisher:   Sydney Children's Hospital,The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Description:   Reflux happens when the muscle in the lower part of the oesophagus relaxes when it should not. Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment or reflux are explained.
Date:   Aug 2000
Title:   Appendicitis
Publisher:   Sydney Children's Hospital,The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Description:   An explanation of appendicitis and the appropriate treatment is given. What happens prior to and after surgery is outlined.
Date:   Aug 2000
Title:   Interventions for growth failure in childhood Crohn's disease
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Growth failure occurs in 15-40% of children with Crohn's disease. Growth in affected children is influenced by the disease process itself and by some treatments. Management in children differs from that in adults because of the required emphasis on achi...
Date:   May 2005
Title:   Psychosocial interventions for recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in childhood
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Each of the included studies reported a statistically significant benefit to participants in the intervention group. CBT may therefore be worth considering for some children with recurrent abdominal pain, but this review points to the need for further, ...
Date:   Nov 2007
Title:   Pharmacological interventions for recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in childhood
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Recently it has been suggested that children previously described as having RAP should be classified according to the pattern of symptoms into a series of sub-groups (the Rome II criteria) including irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, functi...
Date:   Nov 2007
Title:   Dietary interventions for recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in childhood
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   This review attempted to determine the effectiveness of dietary interventions. When the original version was published, only four trials fit the inclusion criteria for the review, two of which looked at fibre supplements and two of which looked at lacto...
Date:   Nov 2007
Title:   Coeliac disease
Publisher:   Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
Description:   In coeliac disease (say see-lee-ak), gluten (gloo-ten) causes damage to the lining of the small bowel. It is sometimes spelled celiac disease. Gluten is a protein which is found in cereals like wheat, rye, barley and oats.
Date:   Sep 2007
Title:   Lactose intolerance in babies
Publisher:   Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
Description:   Lactase is an enzyme, or chemical, which the body uses to digest milk sugar (lactose). If there is not enough lactase, undigested milk sugar may cause gut pains and diarrhoea. This is called lactose intolerance.
Date:   Sep 2008
Title:   Probiotics for prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious disease that affects the bowel of premature infants in the first few weeks of life. Although the cause of NEC is not entirely known, milk feeding and bacterial growth play a role. Probiotics (dietary suppleme...
Date:   Aug 2007
Title:   Lactose intolerance
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   Lactose intolerance is when a person has difficulty or is unable to digest milk sugars. People with this problem do not have enough of the enzyme lactase. Five per cent of Caucasians and up to 75 per cent of non-Caucasians living in Australia experience lactose intolerance. Symptoms include bloating, gas, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Date:   Jul 2007
Title:   Oral immunoglobulin for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm and low birth-weight neonates
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Destructive inflammation of the gut (necrotizing enterocolitis, NEC) is caused by gas-producing bacteria that ferment milk. It is a potential problem for newborn preterm and low birthweight (less than 2500 grams) infants. Even after leaving hospital aff...
Date:   Oct 2003
Title:   Lactose intolerance and the breastfed baby
Publisher:  
Description:   HealthInsite Expert View by Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor, Joy Anderson. Lactose intolerance arises when a person does not produce the enzyme (or does not produce enough) and is therefore unable to digest lactose. The symptoms of lactose intolerance are liquid, frothy stools, and an irritable baby who may pass wind often.
Date:   Feb 2007
Title:   Glutamine supplementation for young infants with severe gastrointestinal disease
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Glutamine is an amino acid that helps tissues, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, recover from damage. We looked for evidence that giving extra glutamine to young infants with severe bowel problems helps them to recover faster and more fully. A...
Date:   Oct 2006
Title:   Delayed introduction of progressive enteral feeds to prevent necrotising enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   There is insufficient evidence to determine whether delaying the introduction of enteral milk feeds given to very low birth weight infants reduces the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis. Very low birth weight infants (birth weight less than 1500 gra...
Date:   Jan 2008
Title:   Lactase treated feeds to promote growth and feeding tolerance in preterm infants
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Successful transition from parenteral nutrition to full enteral feedings during the immediate neonatal period is associated with improved growth in preterm infants. Lactase is the last of the major intestinal disaccharidases to develop in preterm infants.
Results 1 to 20 displayed.
1    2