Clinical Features
Typically, Hirschsprung's disease is diagnosed shortly after birth, because of the presence of megacolon, or because the baby fails to pass the first stool (meconium) within 48 hours of delivery. Normally, 90% of babies pass their first meconium within 24 hours, and 99% within 48 hours. Other symptoms include: green or brown vomit, explosive stools after a doctor inserts a finger into the rectum, swelling of the abdomen, lots of gas and bloody diarrhea.
Some cases are diagnosed later, into childhood, but usually before age 10. The child may experience fecal retention, constipation, or abdominal distention. With an incidence of one in 5,000 births, the most cited feature is absence of ganglion cells: notably in males, 75 percent have none in the end of the colon (recto-sigmoid) and eight percent lack ganglion cells in the entire colon. The enlarged section of the bowel is found proximally, while the narrowed, aganglionic section is found distally, closer to the end of the bowel. The absence of ganglion cells results in a persistent over-stimulation of nerves in the affected region, resulting in contraction.
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