Selected Podcast
Kids & IBD
Dr. Gabriel Winberry discusses IBD, particularly in children.
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Gabriel Winberry, MD
Gabriel Winberry, MD
Dr. Winberry is a pediatric gastroenterologist with clinical interests in inflammatory bowel disease and liver disorders, as well as patients with general gastrointestinal disorders.Learn more about Gabriel Winberry, MD
Transcription:
Kids & IBD
Bill Klaproth: You may not think about this, but if your child has reoccurring stomach pain, it might be inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. So let's talk about kids in IBD with Dr. Gabriel Winberry, Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology at WakeMed Children's. This is WakeMed Voices, a podcast from WakeMed Health and Hospitals. I'm Bill Klaproth. Dr. Winberry. Thank you so much for your time. It is great to talk to you. So first off, what is inflammatory bowel disease or IBD?
Dr. Winberry: Yeah. Thanks for having me. Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic lifelong disease that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal or GI tract. The GI tract is responsible for digestion of food, absorption of nutrition, and elimination of waste from the body. And so inflammation impairs the ability of the effected GI organs to work properly, which can lead to symptoms in children and adults that are mild to severe and may range from diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite, or poor growth.
Host: Wow, there is a lot there. So how early can this start in a child's life? And in what ages does this most commonly occur?
Dr. Winberry: Inflammatory bowel disease in general, most commonly occurs between the ages of about 15 and 30, but it actually can occur in younger children. So very uncommonly we can pick it up in kids as young as the age of even three or four years old, even though it is more common to see in the adolescent timeframe.
Host: Dr. Winberry, does this ever go away? I'm just thinking about a child who develops this at an early age, will it go away and would a child potentially have to take medications their whole life?
Dr. Winberry: Yeah, that's a good question. So, unfortunately right now where the science is at IBD is considered a chronic manageable condition, which means kids will have it for the rest of their lives. And we don't necessarily have a cure, but we have made major strides in treatments. So many kids are able to go through long periods of remission with no symptoms related to the disease. That's important for them because they can have a really good quality of life, even though they may need to take medications or adhere to certain dietary changes for the long-term.
Host: So, it sounds like a lifestyle and diet can play a part of this. I'm thinking, so what foods can kids eat and what foods should kids avoid and what is a good diet plan then for kids?
Dr. Winberry: Unfortunately, there's not a set diet that works for everybody. We don't know exactly what the dietary triggers may be to cause inflammatory bowel disease. But we do have an idea of some certain foods and certain diets that can be helpful. Usually dietary guidelines will be developed based on each child's specific needs that take into account, whether they have Crohn's disease or upper intestinal inflammation or inflammation of the colon called ulcerative colitis, as well as the severity of the disease. And so generally the goal is just going to be a well balanced, healthy diet, limiting processed foods. And that's rich in nutrition. Most of our patients end up actually working with ourselves and also a dietician to help form a special diet plan for them.
Host: What types of alternative treatment are helpful for kids with IBD?
Dr. Winberry: This is definitely a very popular thing that a lot of our families ask, always looking for different ways to help with the illness. Many families will seek a complimentary approach to the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. And this can include things like supplements, even things like acupuncture, probiotics, or special diets. Unfortunately, the research studies that we have don't really prove or disprove whether these treatments are very effective, but many have been proven to overall be pretty safe. So we usually just recommend with each family working with them to discuss the pros and cons of these options while also letting them know that usually these are not curative and need to be done with the guidance of a doctor while using appropriate medications as well.
Host: So how big of a role does stress play in the disease and where can parents turn to emotional support for their kids?
Dr. Winberry: Yeah, it's very important to know that physical and emotional stress do not cause inflammatory bowel disease. However, we do know that stressful situations or strong emotions can lead to a flare up of symptoms for some children with inflammatory bowel disease. And so not everybody reacts that way with stress, even some kids without inflammatory bowel disease may see a link between stress and their digestive tracks. So it's important for all of us, but specifically folks with inflammatory bowel disease to be prepared for this type of reaction and learn stress management techniques. So many of our families work with a psychologist or a dedicated support group to help manage stress and its interaction with their intestinal track.
Host: Wow. That is really interesting. So a lot of kids have stomach aches, it's a normal part of growing up. How do you know when to turn to the doctor and how important is early detection?
Dr. Winberry: Luckily, most kids that have stomach pain or diarrhea will not have inflammatory bowel disease. It's still considered a rare disorder. However, if there's a family history or persistent symptoms, so diarrhea, abdominal pain, growth issues, or blood in the stool that seem to continue, they're not getting better or they kind of come and go without a clear cause. Those are all good reasons to talk to your pediatrician, to see if any testing through the pediatrician or a referral to see a gastroenterologist may be helpful. And when we meet with folks, if we do pick things up early, we may be able to prevent some complications and prevent maybe years of symptoms before diagnosis. However, even if the disease is picked up a little bit later, luckily for most kids, we're still able to manage with use of medicines and diet to reverse some of the symptoms and inflammation that they've been experiencing.
Host: Well, this has really been interesting and informative, and there's probably a lot of parents learning this for the first time and that it can affect children, as you said, as young as three years of age. So this is really important information to talk about Dr. Winberry, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.
Dr. Winberry: Definitely is my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Host: That's Dr. Gabriel Winberry, and to learn more about WakeMeds Pediatric Gastroenterology services or to schedule an appointment visit WakeMed.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Bill Klaproth with WakeMed Voices brought to you by WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thanks for listening.
Kids & IBD
Bill Klaproth: You may not think about this, but if your child has reoccurring stomach pain, it might be inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. So let's talk about kids in IBD with Dr. Gabriel Winberry, Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology at WakeMed Children's. This is WakeMed Voices, a podcast from WakeMed Health and Hospitals. I'm Bill Klaproth. Dr. Winberry. Thank you so much for your time. It is great to talk to you. So first off, what is inflammatory bowel disease or IBD?
Dr. Winberry: Yeah. Thanks for having me. Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic lifelong disease that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal or GI tract. The GI tract is responsible for digestion of food, absorption of nutrition, and elimination of waste from the body. And so inflammation impairs the ability of the effected GI organs to work properly, which can lead to symptoms in children and adults that are mild to severe and may range from diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, loss of appetite, or poor growth.
Host: Wow, there is a lot there. So how early can this start in a child's life? And in what ages does this most commonly occur?
Dr. Winberry: Inflammatory bowel disease in general, most commonly occurs between the ages of about 15 and 30, but it actually can occur in younger children. So very uncommonly we can pick it up in kids as young as the age of even three or four years old, even though it is more common to see in the adolescent timeframe.
Host: Dr. Winberry, does this ever go away? I'm just thinking about a child who develops this at an early age, will it go away and would a child potentially have to take medications their whole life?
Dr. Winberry: Yeah, that's a good question. So, unfortunately right now where the science is at IBD is considered a chronic manageable condition, which means kids will have it for the rest of their lives. And we don't necessarily have a cure, but we have made major strides in treatments. So many kids are able to go through long periods of remission with no symptoms related to the disease. That's important for them because they can have a really good quality of life, even though they may need to take medications or adhere to certain dietary changes for the long-term.
Host: So, it sounds like a lifestyle and diet can play a part of this. I'm thinking, so what foods can kids eat and what foods should kids avoid and what is a good diet plan then for kids?
Dr. Winberry: Unfortunately, there's not a set diet that works for everybody. We don't know exactly what the dietary triggers may be to cause inflammatory bowel disease. But we do have an idea of some certain foods and certain diets that can be helpful. Usually dietary guidelines will be developed based on each child's specific needs that take into account, whether they have Crohn's disease or upper intestinal inflammation or inflammation of the colon called ulcerative colitis, as well as the severity of the disease. And so generally the goal is just going to be a well balanced, healthy diet, limiting processed foods. And that's rich in nutrition. Most of our patients end up actually working with ourselves and also a dietician to help form a special diet plan for them.
Host: What types of alternative treatment are helpful for kids with IBD?
Dr. Winberry: This is definitely a very popular thing that a lot of our families ask, always looking for different ways to help with the illness. Many families will seek a complimentary approach to the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. And this can include things like supplements, even things like acupuncture, probiotics, or special diets. Unfortunately, the research studies that we have don't really prove or disprove whether these treatments are very effective, but many have been proven to overall be pretty safe. So we usually just recommend with each family working with them to discuss the pros and cons of these options while also letting them know that usually these are not curative and need to be done with the guidance of a doctor while using appropriate medications as well.
Host: So how big of a role does stress play in the disease and where can parents turn to emotional support for their kids?
Dr. Winberry: Yeah, it's very important to know that physical and emotional stress do not cause inflammatory bowel disease. However, we do know that stressful situations or strong emotions can lead to a flare up of symptoms for some children with inflammatory bowel disease. And so not everybody reacts that way with stress, even some kids without inflammatory bowel disease may see a link between stress and their digestive tracks. So it's important for all of us, but specifically folks with inflammatory bowel disease to be prepared for this type of reaction and learn stress management techniques. So many of our families work with a psychologist or a dedicated support group to help manage stress and its interaction with their intestinal track.
Host: Wow. That is really interesting. So a lot of kids have stomach aches, it's a normal part of growing up. How do you know when to turn to the doctor and how important is early detection?
Dr. Winberry: Luckily, most kids that have stomach pain or diarrhea will not have inflammatory bowel disease. It's still considered a rare disorder. However, if there's a family history or persistent symptoms, so diarrhea, abdominal pain, growth issues, or blood in the stool that seem to continue, they're not getting better or they kind of come and go without a clear cause. Those are all good reasons to talk to your pediatrician, to see if any testing through the pediatrician or a referral to see a gastroenterologist may be helpful. And when we meet with folks, if we do pick things up early, we may be able to prevent some complications and prevent maybe years of symptoms before diagnosis. However, even if the disease is picked up a little bit later, luckily for most kids, we're still able to manage with use of medicines and diet to reverse some of the symptoms and inflammation that they've been experiencing.
Host: Well, this has really been interesting and informative, and there's probably a lot of parents learning this for the first time and that it can affect children, as you said, as young as three years of age. So this is really important information to talk about Dr. Winberry, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.
Dr. Winberry: Definitely is my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Host: That's Dr. Gabriel Winberry, and to learn more about WakeMeds Pediatric Gastroenterology services or to schedule an appointment visit WakeMed.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Bill Klaproth with WakeMed Voices brought to you by WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thanks for listening.