[The importance of nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease in children].

Many children with inflammatory bowel disease, mainly Crohn's disease, suffer from malnutrition and growth retardation. Maintenance of adequate nutrition is extremely important in the management of pediatric patients with Crohn's disease. This can usually be achieved by exclusive elemental formulae and polymeric formulae and rarely necessitates the use of parenteral nutrition. This review presents an update on the nutritional aspects of inflammatory bowel disease in children.