Nutrition in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Approximately 25% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have the onset of their disease within the first 2 decades of life. Malnutrition is frequent in patients with IBD, especially those with Crohn's Disease (CD). Various micronutrient deficiencies also contribute to morbidity in these patients. Liquid nutrition is frequently utilized to manage the group of patients with malnutrition. In pediatric CD, there is considerable evidence to support the use of polymeric formula as exclusive nutrition to induce remission in newly diagnosed patients, as well as in those with relapses. Exclusive enteral nutrition is an attractive alternative to corticosteroids in patients with CD. There is no evidence for using exclusive enteral nutrition for inducing or maintaining remission in patients with UC. We review the nutritional aspects of patients with IBD and the use of liquid enteral nutrition for remission induction in pediatric patients with IBD.