Dr. Marta Calvo, a digestive system specialist at Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Madrid, reported that the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) typically occurs between the ages of 15 and 30. However, she warned of an increase in cases of the condition in the elderly and children.
“It is expected that, by 2030, one in every hundred people will have inflammatory bowel disease. Currently, there has been an increase in the condition in women, but also in the elderly and children, which is not the norm,” the doctor indicated.
Calvo explained that the change in diagnosis is due, among other factors, to current diet and lifestyle choices: “This disease has always been more common in industrialized countries than in those that were less developed in this regard,” Calvo noted.
Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
At this point, the expert explained that IBD is a group of chronic inflammatory bowel disorders: “Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two types of IBD,” she added.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune inflammatory bowel disease. It manifests as inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the area between the small intestine and the colon. Its most common symptoms are chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and fatigue.
Ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract that affects the large intestine and causes continuous inflammation of the mucosa that extends, to varying degrees, from the rectum to the more proximal areas of the colon. Its most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, bowel urgency, fecal incontinence, fatigue, and tenesmus, or the urgent need to have a bowel movement even if the bowel is not empty.
“Generally, the causes of both diseases are due to genetic factors, environmental factors such as smoking, the immune system, and alterations in the intestinal microbiota,” Calvo emphasized.
The expert also stated that diagnosing IBD is not simple, as “there is no diagnostic test.” In this regard, she emphasized that it is necessary to check the patient’s medical history, as well as perform a series of laboratory, endoscopic, and imaging tests.
Finally, she noted that, historically, the goal for these patients has been to improve the symptoms of the disease. However, she emphasized that in recent years, mucosal healing has been a priority: “The goal is to ensure the intestine is free of lesions and is healed, and that patients can regain their quality of life.”
“It Impacts All Aspects of Life”
Alex Herrera, Head of Communications at ACCU and an ulcerative colitis patient, noted that the disease “impacts all aspects of life.” “It affects the physical level, but also the emotional level. It has a global impact on our lives,” she added.
In this regard, she stated that 60 percent of patients experience insomnia and 40 percent experience fatigue. Furthermore, 56 percent say the disease affects their professional career. “Some people with IBD have to urgently go to the bathroom more than 20 times a day. This can completely affect every aspect of their lives,” Herrera noted.
Therefore, adaptations have been requested so that people with IBD can develop in the educational and work environments. “For example, improving access to a bathroom and providing greater flexibility. This would allow us to adapt better,” she concluded.
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Beleida Delgado
