Home nocturnal supplemental nasogastric feedings in growth-retarded adolescents with Crohn's disease.

We hypothesized that supplemental nutritional support delivered at home by nocturnal nasogastric feedings would result in accelerated growth in growth-retarded adolescents with Crohn's disease. Eight Tanner stage I adolescents with Crohn's disease, mean age 14 yr 5 mo, had a mean weight gain of 0.38 kg and height gain of 1.4 cm for the year before initiation of nasogastric feedings. All had been either asymptomatic or had only minimal symptoms in the year before the study, but were ingesting only 55%-80% of their daily required caloric intake. The subjects were taught to pass by themselves a nasogastric feeding tube, through which 1000-1500 ml of commercial, nonelemental isocaloric formula was infused during sleep to supplement their usual dietary intake. After 12 mo of nocturnal feedings, the subjects had a mean weight gain of 11.75 kg and a mean height gain of 6.98 cm. Six control subjects, matched for age and degree of growth and sexual retardation at the beginning of the study period, but who had refused the nasogastric feedings, had no change in weight and height during the same period of observation. We conclude that home nocturnal nasogastric feedings can achieve dramatic improvement in weight gain and linear growth in motivated adolescents with Crohn's disease and growth retardation.