Complications
Since the stool often fails to pass in newborns with Hirschsprung’s disease, an artificial stool evacuation must be performed. If this is not carried out in time, a complication known as necrotizing enterocolitis can occur, which is an acute, life-threatening disease of the gastrointestinal tract. If the accumulated stool is excessively colonized with bacteria, it can lead to a toxic megacolon, i.e. an acute inflammation of the intestine.
Feared and life-threatening complications are also blood poisoning (sepsis) and peritonitis.In Hirschsprung’s disease, the nerve cells of the rectum and the sigmoid loop are most frequently missing, depending on the extent of the disease. Due to the absence of nerve cells in the colon, the intestine is very narrow at these points. Bowel movements can pass through this narrow spot only in very small amounts or not at all.
As a result, the intestinal sections located in front of the narrowing are dilated. The dilatation of the large intestine is called megacolon in medicine (Greek for “large intestine”). This complication almost always occurs in Hirschsprung’s disease, if it is not discovered beforehand (e.g. due to a lack of exit of child-spittle). In 15% of the cases, a toxic megacolon is formed, the enlarged intestine being infested by a bacterium called Clostridium.
Hirschsprung’s disease in babies
Hirschsprung’s disease is a disease that typically occurs in babies. It usually manifests itself immediately after birth. If only a short segment of the intestine is affected by the disease, children often do not notice it until after weaning.
Until the children are changed over to proper food, the stool is usually thin, so that it can overcome the constriction more easily and the “Hirschsprung’s children” do not attract attention immediately after birth. After the changeover from pure breastfeeding to supplementary food, the children then usually show massive constipation and the other typical symptoms. In most cases, however, the disease manifests itself, as already mentioned, only a few hours/days after birth.