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847-Applying for Social Security Benefits for Your Child with a GI Disorder

When a child is diagnosed with a severe gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, it can put financial strain on the family. Fortunately, in some cases, Social Security Disability benefits are available to help offset the financial burden caused by a child’s GI disorder. In this article, Deanna Power, Community Outreach Manager of the Disability Benefits Center, shares how the parents of a child with a chronic gastrointestinal condition can apply for social security benefits.

846-Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in Children

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, meaning it is a problem caused by changes in how the GI tract works. This article discusses the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of IBS in children.

810-Childhood Defecation Disorders: Constipation and Stool Incontinence

The purpose of this publication is to describe the characteristics and treatment for pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders that prompt parents to bring their child to the doctor for constipation and/or stool incontinence: infant dyschezia, functional constipation (FC), and non-retentive fecal soiling.

180 – Diarrhea (In Adults and Children)

Diarrhea is loose, watery stools. In cases of chronic diarrhea – diarrhea that lasts at least 4 weeks – symptoms may be continual or they may come and go. People of all ages can get diarrhea. This fact sheet describes diarrhea in adults and children, including causes, prevention, and avoiding dehydration.

833-Constipation in Young Children

Answers to the questions: Are there long-term affects of an acute inflammatory disease of the intestines that occurs mainly in under-weight or premature infants called NEC [Necrotizing enterocolitis]? Could having constipation now do any damage to an affected child’s bowel as a result of his having had this disease? Reviewed 2009.

828-Laxatives: A Parent’s Guide to the Successful Management of Constipation in Children

When a new baby is born, we assume that he or she will spend most of the first few months of life engaged in a small number of basic activities: sleeping, feeding, peeing, and pooping. The passage of waste is a basic function of all living organisms, which is so ingrained and routine that most of us do not even think twice about it. The inability to defecate in children is usually due either to a problem with formation of the anus or with the inability of the colon to push the stool from one end to the other (Hirschsprung’s disease and other motility disorders).

807-Dyspepsia in Children

Dyspepsia refers to pain or discomfort centered in the upper abdomen. The symptom characteristics of dyspepsia in children are pain and discomfort in the upper middle region of the abdomen. Individuals often describe the pain as occurring around eating, after eating, or at night. The discomfort can be a sensation of fullness after meals, an early feeling of having had enough to eat (satiety), bloating, belching, nausea, retching, vomiting, regurgitation, anorexia, or food refusal. Diagnosis and treatment discussed. Revised and updated 2009.

808-Functional Fecal Retention

Most people feel that a daily stool is a sign of good health at any age. Some people pay close attention to the frequency, size, and consistency of their children’s stools. Any deviation from the expected norm is a source of concern and leads to a call or visit to the doctor’s office. About 3% of visits to the pediatrician’s office, and 25% of pediatric gastroenterology specialist visits, are for constipation. Functional fecal retention is the most common cause of childhood constipation.

840-Bowel Problems in Adults After Surgical Treatment for Childhood Hirschsprung’s Disease

Hirschsprung’s disease is a rare illness that people are born with (congenital). It occurs annually in about 1 in 5,000 live births. In Hirschsprung’s disease there is a lack of nerve cells (ganglion cells) in segments of the intestinal tract located in the colon and/or rectum.

The treatment is surgery to remove the abnormal bowel segment and restore bowel continuity. Following surgical treatment, most children have a good outcome, but some have persistent bowel problems such as constipation, soiling, fecal incontinence, and inflammation in the colon (enterocolitis). These symptoms can impact the quality of life, which also needs to be addressed.

830-Defecation Disorders after Surgery for Hirschsprung’s Disease

Over 1,000 new cases of Hirschsprung’s disease are diagnosed in the USA every year. More than half the children treated appropriately with surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease suffer from chronic problems with constipation, incontinence, and/or abdominal pain. Even as adults, over half will experience occasional episodes of incontinence, and 10% will endure constipation unresponsive to medical management. Nonetheless, adjustment for teenagers and young adults with Hirschsprung’s disease is not different than for healthy children; successful adjustment depends largely on family support. Revised and updated 2009.

826- Infant Regurgitation

Regurgitation is when the stomach contents flow back up the esophagus and into the mouth. It is a type of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) – the other type being occult or silent reflux. Silent reflux is when the contents of the stomach only go part way up the esophagus. Infants tend to have more regurgitation episodes than silent episodes of GER as compared to adults.

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