Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital cause ofintestinal blockageor obstruction.
Hirschsprung’s disease is not curable, but it is treatable.
The life expectancy of someone with Hirschsprung’s disease is reduced if the condition goes untreated.
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Surgical treatment generally results in excellent outcomes.
This article describes how you would know if your baby has Hirschsprung’s disease.
It covers symptoms, testing, treatments, and more.
What Is Hirschsprung’s Disease?
What Causes Hirschsprung’s Disease?
This leads to constipation, which is the classic symptom of this disorder.
It is sometimes seen more often in children who have other inherited conditions.
One of them isDown syndrome.
It causes hearing loss and changes in pigmentation (coloring) of hair, skin, and eyes.
Most of the children with Hirschsprung’s disease will have a delay in passing meconium.
Some others will develop chronic constipation later in the first month of life.
Some may develop symptoms in later infancy or early childhood.
Testing for Hirschsprung’s Disease
Testing can be done to diagnose Hirschsprung’s disease.
Testing for the suspicion of Hirschsprung’s should usually start with a barium enema.
It is sometimes possible to do a single-stage pull-through procedure or even to do the surgery laparoscopically.
The pop in of surgical repair will likely depend on your child’s specific case.
For example, some infants are too sick when they are first diagnosed to have one-stage surgery.
Summary
Hirschsprung’s disease is an uncommon birth defect that affects nerve cells in the large intestine.
Its primary symptom is intestinal obstruction, which usually occurs shortly after birth.
Testing can rule out other more common causes and confirm a possible diagnosis.
Treatment for Hirschsprung’s disease usually involves surgery, which can save lives.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital.Hirschsprung disease.
