What is Hirschsprungs Disease

Hirschsprung disease (HD) is a disease of the large intestine that causes severe constipation or intestinal obstruction.  Before birth, a child’s nerve cells normally grow along the intestines in the direction of the anus. With hirschsprungs disease, the nerve cells stop growing too soon. Why the nerve cells stop growing is unclear. Some HD is inherited, meaning it is passed from parent to child through genes. HD is not caused by anything a mother did while pregnant.