OBJECTIVETo study the clinical features and treatment of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODSClinical data of 10 children with active CD diagnosed between 2005 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTSAbdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stools were the most common symptoms in these patients, usually accompanied by different degrees of growth retardation and nutritional disorders. Fever was the main extraintestinal manifestation. Enteroscopy showed discontinuous and segmental mucosal hyperaemia and erosion, cobblestone appearance and mucosal ulceration. Abdominal ultrasound revealed uneven and segmental thickening of the intestinal wall. The pathological esamination showed many lymphocytes, eosinophils and plasma cells infiltrating into the lamina propria and partial atrophy of mucosal gland. C-reactive protein (CRP) level was significantly lower in the remission stage than in the acute stage and the recurrence stage (P<0.05). The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was significantly lower in the remission stage than in the recurrence stage (P<0.05). Among mild cases identified by the pediatric Crohn's disease activity index (PCDAI) in the early stage of disease, the induced remission rate and maintained remission rate were 100% and 67%, respectively, with oral 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and adrenocortical hormone. Among moderate and severe cases identified by the PCDAI, the partial remission rate was 100% with 5-ASA and adrenocortical hormone, but the maintained remission rate was not so good and the recurrence rate of disease was high.

CONCLUSIONSPediatric CD has no specific clinical manifestations and laboratory test results. ESR and CRP can be used as the markers for evaluating the disease progression. 5-ASA has certain efficacy in inducing and maintaining remission of pediatric CD. There is a certain correlation between treatment outcome and the PCDAI score in the early stage of disease.