Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea and a poor appetite.
IBD refers to two separate conditions that cause inflammation in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. These conditions are:
- Crohn's disease. Crohn’s disease involves the small and large intestines.
- Ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis can affect all or part of the large intestine.
The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at Riley at IU Health treats children with IBD through special monthly appointments. These appointments let you and your child see a pediatric gastroenterologist, a dietitian and an IBD research nurse all during the same visit. If needed, you and your child can also consult with our psychologist, social worker, pediatric surgeon and parent mentors.
As part of Riley at IU Health, we can utilize many additional resources such as extensive pediatric specialists, specialized pediatric equipment and many supportive pediatric programs sponsored by Child Life.
Your child will be evaluated by gastrointestinal specialists who are fellowship-trained and board certified. We use capsule endoscopy to explore the intestines. This procedure allows us to examine your child's condition without using radiation or tubes.
We have been successfully treating children with IBD for more than 30 years with advanced diagnostic tests and treatment options. We tailor care for each child to provide the best treatment possible.
Our doctors regularly attend medical conferences to learn about the latest treatments and ways to manage IBD. The large size of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at Riley at IU Health allows our team to participate in national and international research studies and quality improvement organizations. This makes more treatments available to children with moderate to severe disease who do not respond to standard therapies.
Conditions & Services
Conditions Treated
Our pediatric specialists provide patient- and family-centered care for most related conditions. The links below provide more specific information about some, but not all, of the conditions that we treat.
Services Offered
We offer a number of different Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our program.
Doctors and
Locations
Doctors
Care provided through the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program is coordinated through our specialized pediatric gastroenterology doctors.
Locations
Locations
In addition to our primary hospital location at the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis, IN, we have convenient locations to better serve our communities throughout the state.
Sort through 6 facilities offering Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program care by entering your city or zip below.
Program Forms & Resources
Program Forms & Resources
Riley Children's Health provides the following forms for parents, healthcare providers and personnel. We have also curated relevant resources from other websites and provided links with brief descriptions of the information that is available.
Resources
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Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America sponsors support groups and summer camps for children living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and provides extensive information about the conditions on its website.
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The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition provides patient outreach and education for children and families living with IBD.
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Riley at IU Health participates in this national health network that is dedicated to improving the care of children with IBD.
Related Departments
Related Departments
We provide multispecialty care for a number of conditions. Below are links to our related departments.
Health Professionals
For Health Professionals
We work with referring physicians and actively participate in a wide range of research on IBD to provide children and their families with the most accurate diagnosis. Healthcare providers and families may contact the Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition Department at Riley at IU Health or the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program to schedule an appointment.
Refer A Patient
Riley at IU Health works with referring physicians in Indiana and beyond.
Refer A PatientEducation
Physicians within the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program give lectures to medical students, residents and fellows. Students, residents and fellows gain hands-on experience in the outpatient gastrointestinal clinics and inpatient gastrointestinal services, all of which are supervised by pediatric gastrointestinal specialists. Gastrointestinal fellows are trained in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures for three years.