Why Choose Us for Pediatric Gastroenterology Care?

The University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital has experience with a wide variety of feeding and gastrointestinal disorders, and this expertise helps our experts care for even the most difficult digestive problems in children. Each year, we perform more than 500 procedures to diagnose and treat digestive diseases in young patients. The earlier your child receives an accurate diagnosis, the sooner your family can focus on other aspects of your child’s life.

Expertise with Celiac Disease

Children with celiac disease have an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and other foods. The University of Chicago Hospitals is home to a comprehensive Celiac Disease Center--the only one in the Midwest. The center provides diagnosis, treatment, support, and education to families with children who must maintain a gluten-free diet.

The center’s world-renowned investigators are actively involved in leading-edge research on the cause of intestinal damage in children with celiac disease.

In addition, our program is run by an international expert in celiac disease and author of numerous publications on this topic. His studies have led to new guidelines for diagnosing the condition. He is also president of the Federation of International Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Help for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

We also have an internationally renowned program for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. We offer innovative medical therapies and surgical procedures, including advanced treatments that are not widely available elsewhere. This includes procedures for colitis that maintain normal bowel anatomy and function. The program also provides a variety of support and educational resources to parents and patients so they can better manage the disease.

IBD research is one of our priorities. The Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital is part of a research consortium that focuses on IBD in children. Our IBD experts regularly participate in research studies to explore new treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases. They have published numerous articles on innovative therapies for IBD in children, including methotrexate, a drug that helps suppress the immune system. We are also exploring the genetics of early IBD to advance physicians’ knowledge of what causes the disease in children.