Ulcerative colitis in children; observations in selected patients.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Ulcerative colitis is not rare in children. Bargen and Kennedy1recently reviewed 139 patients observed during a period of 10 years. Smaller groups of cases have been described by others* During the 18 years 1936 to 1954, eighty instances of ulcerative colitis in children have been observed at the University of Chicago. The purpose of this report is to describe four selected patients, illustrating important diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this complex illness. Case1.—N. M., a 14-year-old white girl student, first experienced mild diarrhea while vacationing in Florida in January, 1953. On returning to Chicago, her bowel movements became numerous and bloody. Although Endamoeba histolytica never was identified, she was treated elsewhere with emetine and later oxytetracycline (Terramycin). After initial improvement, the symptoms recurred, but responded to bed rest and a bland diet. Roentgen examination elsewhere, in November, 1953, indicated minimal changes in the right colon and