What is Juvenile Polyposis?
Juvenile polyposis is a rare condition with multiple juvenile polyps in the gastrointestinal tract. The number of polyps needed to make the diagnosis of juvenile polyposis remains controversial. Most specialists agree that about 7 or more polyps are a reasonable cut-off. Doctors need to find out if a person has juvenile polyposis because patients have to be checked regularly. Some patients with juvenile polyposis may be born with other problems, for example, heart problems. What are the Symptoms of Juvenile Polyposis? Children with juvenile polyposis usually develop rectal bleeding, anemia (a low red blood cell count), rectal prolapse, or protrusion of a polyp through the rectum. Rarely, juvenile polyposis can present during infancy with failure to gain weight, rectal bleeding, and diarrhea. Do Polyps need to be removed? If the polyps are causing problems such as bleeding they can usually be removed during colonoscopy. Most juvenile polyps can be removed by placing a snare (a wire) aro
