A diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, or "IBD," can upend a person's life. IBD—an umbrella term covering a range of gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease—can manifest as a variety of symptoms, including stomach pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue. Every version of IBD is chronic, and people often receive a diagnosis in childhood or young adulthood, meaning many will have to manage the disease for most of their life.
Luckily, there's been plenty of research into therapies to help patients manage IBD and reduce the inflammation that causes symptoms. But there's one group of patients who have been left out of much of this research on new therapies: children.
Many of the treatments now approved for adults haven't been formally approved for use in children, and there's little data on how, or how well, these medications might work for treating pediatric IBD. Without this information, many patients may not be getting the optimal treatment, potentially increasing their risk of long-term complications…
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