Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center

Having a lifelong condition like inflammatory bowel disease can be challenging, especially for kids. At Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, we aim to provide compassionate, patient-centered service from the initial diagnosis to the time a child is ready to transition to adult medical care.

About the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Our Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center specializes in diagnosing and treating inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, in children, teens and young adults. This includes Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease undetermined and very early onset IBD with a possibility of immunodeficiencies causing intestinal inflammation.

In addition to our pediatric IBD specialists, Children’s Colorado is the only hospital in the Rocky Mountain region to offer an entire team of professionals dedicated to IBD care for kids and teens. From surgeons to social workers to nutritionists and more, a team of this size means we’re able to focus on how IBD impacts an entire family and provide an individualized, age-appropriate treatment plan.

We're also the only program in the region participating in ImproveCareNow, a community working to improve the well-being of kids with IBD.

Services offered at our IBD center

An initial visit includes:

• Review of medical records and intestinal biopsy specimen
• Physical exam
• Physician evaluation and plan for IBD diagnosis or treatment
• Personalized education about IBD from our nurse coordinator
• Dietitian evaluation and diet planning
• Social work evaluation for school and mental health needs
• Psychological screening for coping skills, anxiety and depression

Follow-up visits include:

• Physician evaluation and plan for treatment
• Nurse evaluation for needs and coordination of care
• Dietary and social work follow up, as needed
• Psychologist follow up, as needed

Our bowel treatment program also provides the following services and procedures:

• Advanced endoscopy, including upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, therapeutic endoscopy and balloon enteroscopy
• Video capsule endoscopy
• Advanced imaging including magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) to avoid radiation and small bowel ultrasound
• Primary nutritional therapy for Crohn’s disease
• Research into the causes of IBD and development of new treatments for IBD
• Clinical trials that make new medications available
• An introduction and resources from the local chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
• Medical coverage of Camp Oasis, a camp for children with IBD

Learn more about Crohn's disease treatment and ulcerative colitis treatment for kids.

Why choose us for inflammatory bowel disease care?

Our Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at the Digestive Health Institute is the only IBD center in the region to provide comprehensive, pediatric-specific multidisciplinary care. Essentially, this means we have a well-rounded team of specialists who can provide seamless care for children with IBD, no matter the type or severity.

Our team includes:

• Board-certified pediatric gastroenterologists who work alongside pediatric radiologists, surgeons, endocrinologists, immunologists and rheumatologists
• Psychologists
• Advanced practice nurses
• Nurse coordinators
• Social workers
• Registered dietitians
• Child life specialists

Learn why multidisciplinary care matters.

In addition to our unique, multidisciplinary approach to care, our focus on nutrition and its role in treating IBD in kids stands out as an example for other caregivers and providers. We’re the only IBD department in the region that provides nutritional IBD therapy as an option for inducing remission for Crohn's disease.

After nutrition as therapy, our specialists help patients and their families learn to maintain good nutrition and a healthy diet, adjusting fiber, lactose and foods high in fat to improve symptoms. We also participate in research and clinical trials, which helps us identify new and innovative treatment methods.

Contact the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

For appointments at Anschutz Medical Campus or South Campus, call 720-777-4600 or email IBD@childrenscolorado.org.