Nutritional management of enteropathy

The prognosis for nutritional management of enteropathy in children is good when the enteropathy is reversible with the use of a food elimination diet, such as cow’s-milk-sensitive enteropathy, but is poor when enteropathy is irreversible, such as microvillous atrophy. However, nutritional management is central to the care of all children with small intestinal enteropathy. Enteral nutrition (provision of liquid formula diets by mouth or by tube) is possible in most cases, but in some children with intractable diarrhea, parenteral nutrition needs to supplement enteral feeding. The choice of enteral feeding ranges from elemental to partial hydrolysate.