SUCCESSFUL ENTERAL HYPERALIMENTATION FOR A PATIENT WITH CROHN'S DISEASE

A 25-year-old man was admitted to our hospital in March, 1990 because of diarrhea, general fatigue and low grade fever. He had a history of severe diarrhea dating from 1985. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities. Hypoproteinemia (5.1g/dl) and normocytic normochromic anemia (11.9g/dl) were noted. X-ray examination revealed skip lesions, stenosis and a cobblestone appearance in the small intestine. Clinically, a diagnosis of Crohn's disease was made in the small intestine. Elementary hyperalimentation using a liquid diet was started in April, 1990. Although no anti-inflammatory drugs were administered, clinical symptoms and abnormal laboratory findings improved within 4 weeks. After establishment of remission, the elementary diet was gradually replaced with a normal diet. There was no subsequent reappearance of symptoms nor abnormal laboratory data. Thus, the effectiveness of elementary diet therapy for Crohn's disease was confirmed.