[Clinical picture of Crohn's disease in children and adolescents].

The authors describe the course of Crohn's disease in two boys and six girls aged 11.1-15.6 years. In three patients with terminal ileitis and affection of the ascendent colon the disease is characterized by prolonged growth retardation, subfebrile temperatures, abdominal pain. For patients with granulomatous colitis, blood-stained diarrhoea is typical abdominal pain and loss of body weight. Three patients were treated first for idiopathic proctocolitis and only in the course of the disease the diagnosis of Crohn's disease was established. In 87.5% of the patients on admission anaemia was found and all patients had a varying elevated red cell sedimentation rate and CRP. The author draws attention to extraintestinal symptoms (dermal, ophthalmological, articular, somatic retardation) which precede in particular somatic retardation) which precede in particular in affections of the small intestine intestinal manifestations. Their erroneous interpretation may delay the establishment of the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. The author emphasizes the importance of basic laboratory examinations and examination by ultrasound for early detection of patients.