Private Paediatric Gastroenterology in London

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What is paediatric gastroenterology?

Children often have tummy problems and its usually nothing to worry about. However, if your child has a persistent or more serious issue, our team of paediatric gastroenterologists is here for you. They can help with the diagnosis, treatment and management of gut disorders in children. This includes caring for any part of your child’s digestive system, from their oesophagus and stomach to their small intestine, large intestine (colon), rectum, liver, gallbladder and pancreas.

You’ll be able to access a comprehensive range of services, delivered by specialists spanning paediatric consultants, nutritionists and radiologists. This multidisciplinary approach enables us to provide the wrap-around care your child needs, supported by expert advice to help you and your child manage a wide range of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Using blood and bowel tests and state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, our specialists can quickly pinpoint the cause of any disorder and ascertain the best course of treatment, helping to get your child back to feeling well.

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Paediatric gastroenterology conditions we treat

Gastro-oesophageal reflux

While it’s not uncommon for a child to experience regular bouts of gastro-oesophageal reflux, better known as acid reflux, it might also merit further examination. This may involve blood tests, looking in your child’s throat and or stomach using a gastroscopy, giving them a barium swallow test or monitoring their acid levels using a 24-hour tube test. Depending on the results, treatment could include dietary changes or medication. Sometimes reflux is called ‘silent reflux’ and it may make your child vomit a small amount. Gut discomfort is always an underlying factor. Reflux is a symptom, rather than illness in itself, so your child’s consultant will look for the underlying cause of the problem.

Constipation

If your child is pooing less often than usual, passing hard stools, straining excessively when they do poo or experiencing stomach cramps, bloating or nausea, they may have chronic constipation. At our neuro-gastroenterology diagnostic centre, we can provide treatments such as laxatives and bowel stimulants, as well as trying to find the underlying cause of the constipation.

Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is a common condition which affects most children at some point. It has a variety of causes. Usually diet, a stomach bug or food poisoning are to blame. If your child has diarrhoea for more than seven days, we’ll need to investigate why, including doing blood and stool tests. If they suffer from protracted or recurrent diarrhoea, our gastroenterology specialists can work with you to help identify the cause and create a treatment plan.

Lactose intolerance

Lactose is the sugar found in dairy products such milk and cheese. Lactose intolerance is a condition that may leave your child feeling bloated, sick or in pain after eating or drinking anything containing lactose. They may also become constipated or suffer from diarrhoea. These symptoms can take a few minutes or a few hours to flare up. If you’re concerned that your child has a lactose intolerance, our gastroenterologists and allergy specialists can help.

Infant colic

It's natural for all babies to cry, but prolonged crying, accompanied by excessive wind, a red face and clenched fists could suggest colic. Other signs may include your baby pulling their knees to their chest or arching their back. Although you don’t normally need to see a doctor for colic, our specialists can check to make sure there’s nothing seriously wrong and advise you on how to manage your baby’s symptoms until they grow out of this stage.

Recurrent abdominal pain

Recurrent abdominal pain is common in children. It’s called ‘functional abdominal pain’ because it’s a problem with the way the gut works rather than how it’s structured. There is a variety of causes, although its usually related to foods that your child has eaten. We have a full and comprehensive range of tests and investigations we can conduct to help identify the underlying reasons, if any, for the pain.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other gut disorders

IBS changes the way that the muscles and nerves in your child’s bowel work. It’s one of a range of functional gut disorders that your child may develop. If your child has diarrhea, constipation, bloating or the feeling of not having emptied their bowels fully after having a poo, they may have IBS. We can carry out a range of blood tests, stool tests and a variety of endoscopic and radiological tests to exclude other serious conditions. Changes to your child’s diet will usually help to alleviate the symptoms. Reducing stress and how they deal with stress can also help, as can some probiotics and medicines.

Gut and brain interaction

Some children suffer with gut disorders that relate to eating, sensitivity, pain and evacuation. These can be as a result of abnormalities in the nervous system or muscles in the gut or the result of how the nervous systems in the brain and the gut communicate with each other. The result is often heartburn, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, stomach pain, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea and difficultly pooing. In order to get to the heart of your child’s issue, our neuro-gastroenterologists will carry out a series diagnostic tests.

Inflammatory bowel disease

This digestive problem causes your child’s gut to become inflamed. It’s more likely to occur in children aged 15 over and includes the conditions known as Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis. If your child is losing weight or has diarrhoea or cramps, we may investigate with blood or stool tests or an endoscopy to see whether their bowel is inflamed.

Coeliac disease

Your child’s digestive system is lined with tiny hair-like projections called villi. The job of these villi is to absorb nutrients into your child’s body. If your child has coeliac disease, their immune system has a bad reaction to the gluten found in many food items such as pasta and bread, causing these villi to become damaged. Coeliac disease is a lifelong digestive disorder that needs careful dietary management. Unmanaged, it can cause abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, weight loss and tiredness due to anaemia and malnutrition.

Our paediatric gastroenterology facilities

From complex GI procedures to diagnostic tests and procedures, we provide gastroenterological care for children across key facilities in the HCA Healthcare UK network of hospitals, outpatient centres and specialist clinics. We also have a level three paediatric intensive care unit, so we can give your child the highest level of care.