Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program

Contact number | 202-476-3032

Understanding Treatments

Caring for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) requires more than one single solution. Learn more about the current treatment options for IBD.

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Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract. IBD includes several conditions:

Crohn's disease
Ulcerative colitis
Indeterminate colitis

IBD can be painful and may severely affect your child’s quality of life. IBD can be successfully treated with medication, nutrition therapy and occasionally surgery, but there is currently no cure for the disease. The goal of IBD treatment is to induce and maintain remission. This is defined in part by a healed intestine, but also with a goal of improved quality of life and return to normal functioning.

Choosing Children’s National for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care

When your child has IBD, it affects their physical and emotional health. The Children’s National IBD Program takes a holistic approach to care, offering comprehensive services to help your child feel better and enjoy daily activities, including sports, friends and school.

We provide the expertise and experience of a large program, with the individualized attention and care that is often only attainable in a smaller practice.

Features of Our IBD Program

All our physicians are board certified in pediatric gastroenterology, with years of experience diagnosing and treating children with IBD. They have dedicated their careers to caring for children who are living with these chronic digestive conditions.
From expert diagnosis to medical management to surgery, our IBD Clinic provides services for every aspect of your child’s care. This includes seamless transitional care as your child moves into adulthood, and support from a pediatric gastrointestinal psychologist who helps families normalize mental healthcare as an integral part of their treatment plan.
Our team understands that children are not simply mini adults. We use specialized techniques and technology to diagnose and treat your child. Our Radiology department, endoscopy suite and infusion facilities are designed to deliver age-appropriate, family- and child-centered care.
As part of our child-centered philosophy, our IBD team understands the importance of proper nutrition so your child can grow and develop. A pediatric dietitian is an important part of your child’s team, ensuring that your child receives the necessary nutrients to promote healthy growth. We also offer joint services with the Orthopaedics department for children with low bone mineral density with guidance on how to improve bone health.
Our Autism Behavioral Consult team, and child life specialists support children with disabilities in our care to ensure they receive developmentally appropriate care.
Our surgeons are highly skilled and specialize in the care of children with IBD, for those rare cases when surgery is necessary. We have dedicated pediatric wound specialists and nurses who care for your child in the event of an ostomy surgery where part of the intestines are removed. Learn more about general and thoracic surgery for children at Children’s National.

We also work closely with gastrointestinal surgeons, delivering minimally invasive, excellent care with a compassionate touch before, during and after your child's surgical procedure.
Our care providers work closely with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition to help support and advocate for our patients.

Contact Information

To schedule an appointment with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program, call 202-476-3032.

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Crohn's Disease

Eighteen months after Christopher and Julie Dobry had their son Jared, they noticed something was not right. He was experiencing intense stomach discomfort and digestive issues that seemed to only worsen over time. For years afterward, they traveled from doctor to doctor trying to find the right diagnosis.

Jared D.'s Story