Pancreas divisum in a family with hereditary pancreatitis.

Hereditary pancreatitis is characterized by an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance, onset of symptoms in childhood or early adolescence (mean age of onset approximately 13 years), and an approximately equal sex incidence. Pancreas divisum is a congenital variant of pancreatic ductal anatomy in which the ventral and dorsal pancreatic ductal systems fail to fuse, so that two functional papillae drain the exocrine secretions of the pancreas. In recent years, several reports of pancreatitis associated with pancreas divisum in children have appeared.

Immunoglobulin studies in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

Serum immunoglobulin A, and G subclasses were measured in patients with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and in normal controls. Significant differences were noted in elevated total gamma globulin in both disease groups: in elevated IgG1 in ulcerative colitis and elevated IgG2 in patients with Crohn's disease. These differences were not significantly related to disease activity in either disease although higher levels were observed in those with moderate and severe disease.

Crohn's disease in children 10 years old and younger: comparison with ulcerative colitis.

In order to examine the presentation and course of Crohn's disease (CD) versus those of ulcerative colitis (UC) in children < or = 10 years of age, a retrospective review of children < or = 10 years old with inflammatory bowel disease singled out 40 patients and compared their findings with those of 38 children with UC. The mean age at onset was 7.5 years for CD, as compared with 5.

Ulcerative colitis in children 10 years old or younger.

The onset and course of ulcerative colitis diagnosed in 38 children at or before 10 years of age were reviewed. The mean age at onset was 5.9 years.