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Continuous Elemental Enteral Alimentation in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Crohn's Disease
Author(s) -
Morin Claude L.,
Roulet Michel,
Roy Claude C.,
Weber Andrée,
Lapointe Normand
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/0148607182006003194
Subject(s) - medicine , elemental diet , parenteral nutrition , enteral administration , prednisone , crohn's disease , complication , gastroenterology , disease , surgery , pediatrics
Ten pediatric patients, aged 8.5–19 years, with active symptomatic Crohn's disease, received a three‐week period of continuous elemental enteral alimentation with no other form of treatment. All patients in this study were selected according to the following criteria, which were applied consecutively : (1) newly diagnosed patients with no previous treatment for Crohn's disease, (2) disease activity index over 200, and (3) no complication requiring surgery. All patients experienced a clinical remission and improved their immunologic and nutritional status during the elemental enteral alimentation. The mean disease activity index for the whole group was 307.0 ± 23.6 (range: 203 to 413) before and 69.2 ± 11.4 (range: 15 to 114) after the feeding period. Significant increases in body weight, triceps skinfold, mid‐arm circumference, serum transferrin and mean percentage of T lymphocytes were also observed. Following cessation of enteral alimentation, a small declining dose of prednisone was used during a one‐year follow‐up period. Eight of the ten patients were still in clinical remission three months after the feeding period and their nutritional status had continued to improve during that period of time.