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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Can Crohn's in a five year old present as only abdominal pain?

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    Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Digestive Health
    My five year old son has been experiencing abdominal pain five six days mostly in the left lower quadrant. He has lost about 1.5 pounds on the past week. He is very small for his age (normal height but only weighs 17kg). He has u/s X-rays and bloodwork all have come back normal.

    Tylenol and Advil do not help the pain. The pain is worse after eating and he doesn't want to eat . The pain wakes him up at night. He normally has a BM daily but does have occasional diarrhea fr example if he eats an apple he will have diarrhea 7-8 times the next day.

    Prior to this he has had occasional abdominal pain but nothing requiring medical care. We have IBD in our family. We have been in the ER five times this week and now don't know what to do.
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    • Prof Andrew Day
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    Thanks

    Prof Andrew Day

    Paediatrician

    Crohns disease  can present in children of any age, right down to the first year of life.

    Overall, the most common symptoms are pain, diarrhoea and weight loss.

    However, some children can have just one or two of these symptoms,and others can have other symptoms (such as mouth ulcers, fevers, poor height gains etc).


    In regards your boy, Crohn disease could certainly be a possibility. As could other things like Coeliac disease. It isn't clear what tests your son has had. Normal blood tests do not rule out Crohn disease - a number of children with this can have completely normal tests.

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