DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter, age 32, has had Crohn’s disease for 10 years. Is there any diet that works for it? I am very concerned for the future. She is quite thin and seems to be losing more weight. Any information is most appreciated. – F.S.

ANSWER: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two inflammatory bowel diseases. They have some shared features, but their differences are significant. In Crohn’s disease, any part of the digestive tract, from mouth to rectum, can be involved. Ulcerative colitis affects only the large intestine, the colon. Removing the colon, when necessary, in ulcerative colitis cures the condition. Removing those parts of the digestive tract affected by Crohn’s does not bring a cure, for it can pop up in other segments. Diarrhea and weight loss are symptoms of both, as is abdominal pain. When either flares up, fever and chills result.

There is no particular diet for Crohn’s disease. However, if a patient finds that a particular food brings on or worsens symptoms, that food should be banished. High-fiber foods, which are good for curing constipation, are not good for Crohn’s disease.

Your daughter will be well-served if she consults a dietitian or a nutritionist. Your local hospital can put you in touch with one. Either one can teach her what food supplements, such as liquid drinks, provide a large number of calories in a relatively small volume so she can make up for the partial block against food absorption that Crohn’s disease causes.

Your daughter ought to consider taking a daily multivitamin that also contains essential minerals. Crohn’s patients can sometimes become vitamin- and mineral-deficient.

You and your daughter (and all Crohn’s patients) should take advantage of the services provided by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. You can contact the foundation at 1-800-343-3637. Canadians, dial 1-416-920-5035. The Web site is www.ccfa.org. The foundation provides information on treatment for these two illnesses and alerts people to new therapies.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My 7-year-old daughter has underarm and pubic hair. She also has body odor. I found some information on the Internet about precocious puberty. Should I be concerned about it? – C.B.

ANSWER: For girls, the first signs of puberty are small breast buds that normally appear between the ages of 8 and 13. I am fairly sure she must have them. Menstrual periods arrive about two or two and a half years later. Pubic hair (and underarm hair) is seen between the ages of 9 and 13. (Body odor comes from a change in the composition of sweat and oil glands that occurs along with puberty.)

You should take your daughter to a doctor. When puberty comes too early, the child does not attain his or her genetically programmed height. Puberty causes the growth zones of bones to close. Furthermore, in some instances precocious puberty results from ovarian or adrenal gland tumors or thyroid problems – another reason to see the doctor.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Last August, my 13-year-old granddaughter was hospitalized for a gallbladder attack. The doctors recommend removing it. They say her gallbladder is full of “sand.” I suggest that she get another opinion. Have you ever heard of children having their gallbladders removed? – P.J.

ANSWER: Children can and do have their gallbladders removed. The “sand” that was mentioned is crystals that, given time, can aggregate into stones.

Having had one gallbladder attack makes a second attack quite likely. Recommending surgery is reasonable advice. Second attacks are common.

Sickle cell anemia, obesity, liver disease, gallbladder infections, fasting and rapid weight loss are some of the conditions that lead to gallstone formation and gallbladder removal at a young age. Your granddaughter might or might not have any of them, but I am sure her doctors looked for any that seemed probable contributors to her gallbladder attack.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: First I had a mouthful of canker sores. The doctor prescribed a mouthwash, which didn’t work. Then I got some sores on my privates, and I saw another doctor. This doctor says I have Behçet’s disease. I’ve never heard of it, and I don’t know anything about it. Please fill in the blanks for me. – R.P.

ANSWER: Behçet’s (buh-SETS) disease takes its name from a Turkish dermatologist who was the first doctor to describe it in the 1930s. It’s a strange illness that has a diverse array of signs and symptoms and a diverse array of affected organs and tissues. The disorder is believed to be due to blood vessel inflammation brought on by a misfiring immune system.

Three common signs are genital ulcers, mouth ulcers and eye inflammation. Not all three need be present to make a diagnosis.

The mouth sores look very much like canker sores, and when only they are present, doctors are misled into believing the patient has only canker sores. When ulcers appear on the genitals, the combination makes doctors think of Behçet’s disease. Eye symptoms include red eyes (both eyes might be involved), eye pain and a sensitivity to bright light. Be thankful you do not have eye involvement. It can lead to impaired vision.

Treatments of Behçet’s are many, and that is not comforting information. The existence of many treatments often indicates that no one treatment is the best for every patient. That holds true here. Colchicine, a gout medicine, sometimes calms the out-of-whack immune system, as do dapsone and methotrexate. Thalidomide, a drug implicated in causing birth defects when taken during pregnancy, is a permissible treatment and can control the illness at times.

Everyone naturally wants to know what their illness holds in store for them in the future. With Behçet’s, it is impossible to make predictions. The illness can recur.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.