REMISSION FOLLOWING AN ELEMENTAL DIET OR PREDNISOLONE IN CROHNS-DISEASE

The short- and long-term effects of an elemental diet in children with acute Crohn's disease were compared with those of prednisolone in his torical controls. Clinical remission was induced in 25 of 30 and in 18 of 28 episodes treated for six weeks with an elemental diet and predn isolone. Patients with proximal disease had longer remission after tre atment with an elemental diet (p < 0.05) than did patients with coloni c disease after treatment with prednisolone (p < 0.01). Disease activi ty index score improved in both groups compared with the pretreatment scores (p < 0.05). However, the improvement in the elemental diet grou p was significantly better than in the prednisolone group (p < 0.001). Changes in linear growth were better after treatment with an elementa l diet compared with steroids (p < 0.001). Serum albumin and haematocr it concentrations all improved significantly in the children treated w ith an elemental diet (p < 0.001) but not in those treated with steroi ds. Thus an elemental diet was better than prednisolone in proximal di sease and confirmed improved growth and nutritional status.