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    Kids With Crohn's Disease, Colitis Often Struggle at School: Study

    HealthDay – Fri, Feb 17, 2012

    FRIDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Children with inflammatory bowel disease may have difficulty in school due to frequent absences that are largely the result of mental struggles such as depression rather than the disease itself, a new study finds.

    Researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, had students aged 11 to 17 years with and without inflammatory bowel disease -- which generally takes the form of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis -- answer questionnaires about their mental health, school functioning and quality of life. Schools provided report cards and school absence information.

    Children with the condition missed more days of school than healthy kids, and those who missed lots of school had lower grade point averages, according to the study.

    Kids with inflammatory bowel disease were also at risk of "internalizing" problems, such as depression, according to the study. Kids who were struggling more mentally also tended to have more absences.

    "Youth with [inflammatory bowel disease] are at increased risk for depression, so the finding that internalizing problems are associated with school absence is a particular concern with important implications," said lead study author Laura Mackner, an investigator in the hospital's Center for Biobehavioral Health, in a hospital news release.

    The study recently appeared in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.

    Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include abdominal pain, fatigue and diarrhea. Children may be prescribed corticosteroids, which may affect learning and memory, or have to take intravenous medication requiring hours in an infusion clinic, according to Dr. Wallace Crandall, director of the hospital's Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

    "Both [inflammatory bowel disease] and its treatment have the potential to disrupt school functioning," Crandall said in the release.

    The study authors noted that most of the children studied were in remission or had only a mild form of the disease, so it's unclear if their findings would apply to children with more severe cases.

    More information

    Nemours has more on inflammatory bowel disease.

     

    6 comments

    • Marie
      Marie  •  3 mths ago
      It took a grant study to discover this? All they had to do was call me! At 61 I have been dealing with Chrons for 45 yrs. It affects every part of my life and always has. At times esp when I was young I considered suicide as a way out. The pain is horrible, but the worst by far is never knowing when/if I was going to poop all over myself in public. Happened...many times.
      • JJCH
        JJCH 3 mths ago
        I have a similar story, Marie. I am a 62-year-old mother and grandmother. My parents were private people and did not think the symptoms I had were something to bring up with the doctor. I made sure that my child could tell my husband and I and the doctor anything. I hope that my experience made me help make my child's life easier. Childhood is difficult for most people, and this disease is a "Catch-22" without medical help.
    • von wonderb
      von wonderb  •  3 mths ago
      I urge anyone with any inflammatory bowel condition to take 6-9grams of a good quality fish oil a day. I do not have any financial stake in these companies-I have found Carlsons finest and Nordic Naturals both in liquid form to be the best. Also I recommend approx 4000iu of vitamin D as well. Hope this info helps someone. =)
    • lee c scott
      lee c scott  •  Maidenhead, United Kingdom  •  3 mths ago
      when the bowels become inflamed, hydrochloric acid leaks back into the bloodstream, causing havoc with the functioning of the brain and nervous system, removing refined sugar from the diet can help
    • JJCH
      JJCH  •  3 mths ago
      I hope all pediatricians and parents will take note of this article. Many parents do not know about this disease affecting their children or do not want to talk about it with their children or to their child's physician. I am a 62-year-old mother and grandmother, and have suffered with this problem since my early teens. My parents were private people and did not think the symptoms I had were something to bring up with the doctor, and they gave me the impression that it was something I would just have to "deal with". I made sure that my child could tell my husband and I and the doctor anything. I hope that my experience made me help make my child's life easier. Childhood is difficult for most people, and this disease is a "Catch-22" without medical help.
    • hunyak78
      hunyak78  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 mths ago
      two splashes and a fart
    • Neotroll2k11
      Neotroll2k11  •  Mt Hamilton, California  •  3 mths ago
      sandusky's grandkids?
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