[Basic diet in Crohn's disease].

26 children with acute symptoms of Crohn's disease were treated with steroids and sulfasalazine (group A, 9 patients), with an elementary diet and sulfasalazine (group B, 10 patients), or with an elementary diet together with steroids and sulfasalazine (group C, 7 patients). Mean ages in each group were very similar, and treatment periods lasted 41.3 +/- 23.5, 37.4 +/- 12.7, and 36.9 +/- 9.1 days in group A, B and C, respectively. During treatment the sedimentation rate and the frequency of defecation decreased significantly in each group. Leucocytes in plasma fell to normal levels in group B but increased slightly in group A and C. Total proteins in plasma rose in group B and C but declined in group A. The body weight increased in each group but differences before and after treatment were significant only in group B and C. The findings suggest that children with active Crohn's disease may benefit from treatment with an elementary diet. Patients with an elementary diet showed significantly more weight gain than patients on steroid treatment. Besides nutritional effects a lower activity of inflammation was also noted.