Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

The Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Cedars-Sinai is a unique facility dedicated to healing kids as quickly and happily as possible.

The Pediatric IBD Center provides complete diagnosis and treatment services for infants, children, adolescents and young adults with intractable intestinal inflammation resulting from chronic conditions, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Designed for patient and family comfort, the center ensures parents that their child will receive the highest quality care from leaders in the field.

Diagnosis

Although Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are different diseases with a variety of forms, each disease causes changes in the digestive system, producing similar life-altering symptoms. These include:

  • Abdominal cramps
  • Anemia
  • Bloody stool
  • Diarrhea
  • Extreme weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite
  • Loss of body fluids
Pediatric patients benefit from the expertise of the center's specialists. These experts are experienced in accurately identifying this frequently misdiagnosed disease. Some IBD sufferers experience other seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as inflammation of the eye(s), liver and skin and growth delay. Furthermore, higher incidences of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease occur in people of eastern European, particularly Jewish, heritage.

Treatment

Most patients are referred to the Pediatric IBD Center by other gastroenterologists who have exhausted standard treatments. Cedars-Sinai employs a rapid "bench-to-bedside" approach to research, ensuring that patients referred to the center have access to the most advanced technologies and therapies as soon as they are shown to be effective. Treatments may include:

  • Diagnostic procedures
  • Drug therapy
  • Education
  • Nutritional and psychosocial counseling
  • Participation in clinical trials
  • Surgery
Often the medications used to treat IBD have side effects similar to or even worse than the symptoms of the disease. Severe cases may require long courses of steroids or surgery. Removing the diseased portion of the bowel can also relieve symptoms, but often the disease recurs in areas near the surgery. Although the disease can be severe and require surgery and long-term steroid regimens, the physicians at the Pediatric IBD Center are experts in devising treatments that minimize the use of steroids and possibly resolve the need for surgery.

For More Information

For more information about the Pediatric IBD Center or to make an appointment, please contact:

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
8631 W. Third St., Suite 245E
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: 1-800-CEDARS-1 (233-2771)
Fax: (310) 652-7168
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