The Child's Doctor articles

The Child’s Doctor, Journal of Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago

The Child’s Doctor is published by Children’s Memorial Hospital twice a year for community-based physicians. The journal offers continuing medical education (CME) through articles authored by Children’s Memorial’s physicians. It also includes news articles on research at Children’s Memorial. Read the latest issue of The Child’s Doctor here. 

Articles on topics in pediatric gastroenterology:

Functional Abdominal Pain in Children by Miguel Saps, MD and Ashish Chogle, MD, MPH (fellow) Published Fall/Winter 2009

Pediatricians frequently see patients with chronic abdominal pain. In most children, chronic abdominal pain is functional, that is, without demonstrable evidence of an underlying pathologic condition, such as an anatomic, infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, or neoplastic disorder. The pain-predominant functional gastrointestinal disorders (PP-FGIDs) include functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), abdominal migraine, childhood functional abdominal pain and childhood functional abdominal pain syndrome. This article reviewd the current understanding of PP-FGIDs to help pediatricians counsel families and guide treatment decisions.  

Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease: Yet Another Hurdle in Childhood Obesity by Miriam Vos Louthan, MD (former fellow)and Shikha S. Sundaram, MD (no longer at Children’s Memorial Hospital)  Published Fall 2006

In the United States and around the world, childhood obesity has become a major health problem. Along with the rise in obesity, is an increase in the co-morbidities of obesity, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD comprises a spectrum of diseases, ranging from simple steatosis to steatosis in association with necro-inflammatory disease (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH). An estimated 30 million adults and 1.6 million children in the US have NAFLD and up to 30% are estimated to have NASH. NASH can be a more aggressive disease that leads to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in about 20% of cases. In this article, we will review risk factors, warning signs, and screening for NAFLD in children, as well as diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies. 

Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Children by Amir Kagalwalla, MBBS  Published Fall 2005

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a newly recognized disorder and the fastest rising diagnosis in pediatric gastroenterology practice at Children’s Memorial Hospital. This disorder is frequently misdiagnosed and treated as severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Clinicians should suspect EE when GERD symptoms fail to respond to aggressive acid suppression treatment. Symptoms dramatically improve, however, with elimination diet or with corticosteroid treatment. Prompt referral by primary care physician is essential to establishing the correct diagnosis and instituting appropriate treatment expediently to relieve symptoms and prevent complications.

Research: Life After a Pediatric Transplant by Vita Lerman  Published Spring 2005

By the first year anniversary of their liver transplant, most children are back to school full time. However, these children’s academic performance is often lower than expected, and maladaptive behavior and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common. How widespread are these effects? Which variables might predict less than optimal development or quality of life in children after a liver transplant? These questions will be examined in a new study on functional outcomes after pediatric liver transplantation, conducted in 20 centers and led by Estella Alonso, MD, medical director of the Liver Transplant Program at Children’s Memorial Hospital, in collaboration with neurocognitive psychologist Lisa Sorensen, PhD, also at Children’s Memorial. The study is funded by a $2.3 million 5-year grant from National Institutes of Health. 

Content last reviewed: December 2009