Enteral nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease of childhood

In recent years in western communities, chronic inflammatory bowel disease in childhood, and Crohn's disease in particular, has emerged as a major health problem. This article is based on experience gained in the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, first at St. Bartholomew's Hospital from 1978 to 1995, and then from 1995 to the present at the Royal Free Hospital, London. The approach to the management of these children will be based on this experience. In recent times we have increasingly used enteral nutrition for the primary management of children with Crohn's disease and this is the basis of this article.