tailieunhanh - HIRSCHSPRUNG DISEASE INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

A joint US and Japanese research team com- pared the IMR in Japan and the United States (Fig. 3). In 1950, the IMR in Japan was about double that of the US. However, in 1964 the IMR in Japan dropped below that of the US, despite the fact that Japan was still a poor country with GNP per capita of only 780 US dollars. In that year, the Japanese Government even had to request a loan from the World Bank to build the bullet train. The state of the economy cannot explain everything. Even though the economic situation is poor, people can still enjoy healthy and happy lives. The joint research team. | Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust NHS The Children s Hospital Tom s Ward Hirschsprung Disease Information for parents What is Hirschsprung disease Hirschsprung disease is a rare disorder of the bowels most commonly the large bowel colon . Normally the muscles in the bowel squeeze rhythmically to push faeces poo through to the rectum. In Hirschsprung disease the nerves ganglion cells that control these muscles are missing from part of the bowel. This means that faeces cannot be pushed through the bowel in the usual way. The length of the affected part of bowel varies from child to child. page 2 What are the symptoms of Hirschsprung disease Often newborn babies with Hirschsprung disease do not pass meconium - the dark faeces passed in the first two days of life. Other symptoms include a swollen abdomen and vomiting green bile. Later on the main symptom of Hirschsprung disease is constipation which cannot be treated using laxatives or softeners. This occurs because faeces are pushed through the bowel until they reach the affected part. As this part of the bowel cannot squeeze rhythmically to push the faeces through the bowel the faeces cannot move any further. As more food is digested and turned into faeces the bowel becomes blocked causing discomfort and a swollen abdomen. How is Hirschsprung disease diagnosed It is diagnosed by taking a small piece of tissue from the bowel to examine under a microscope. This is called a rectal biopsy. If the piece of tissue does not have any ganglion cells this means that Hirschsprung disease is confirmed. page