Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition that affects more than 115,000 people in the UK. This article focuses on Crohn’s disease in adolescents. Management of the condition in this group should address adolescent-specific characteristics and treatment goals. Key elements include optimising growth, pubertal development and social functioning, including education. The condition can affect an individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing significantly, as well as their physical health. As adolescence is a time of great change, the additional burden of a chronic illness can prove difficult to manage. The authors provide information on the presentation of Crohn’s disease in adolescence and insights into the particular issues encountered by this group.
Nursing Standard. 29, 37, 50-58. doi: 10.7748/ns.29.37.50.e9711
Correspondence Peer reviewAll articles are subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software.
Received: 24 October 2014
Accepted: 30 January 2015
or
Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now
Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more