Inflamatory Bowel Disease

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Inflammatory Bowel Disease May Affect You or Someone You Know

 

(ARA) - Do you -- or someone you love -- experience these symptoms on

a regular basis?

 

* Cramps

 

* Abdominal pain

 

* Persistent diarrhea

 

*Appetite or weight loss

 

If so, you may be suffering from Crohn's disease or ulcerative

colitis. Both are digestive diseases and they affect some 1 million

people in this country. Another 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each

year, and there may be many more that are misdiagnosed. The real

problem is we don't know exactly how many people have these diseases,

nor has much public attention been paid to them.

 

Yet, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and

interrupt one's professional, social and family life. Many people who

have these diseases have frequent attacks and are afraid to leave

their homes or even attend social events for fear that a public

bathroom may not be readily accessible.

 

Since the two illnesses have similar symptoms, Crohn's disease and

ulcerative colitis are collectively known as inflammatory bowel

disease (IBD). Anyone can get IBD, and while the cause is unknown,

scientists have found a genetic link. People are most often diagnosed

as adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 35.

Approximately 100,000 children under the age of 18 are affected and it

can delay growth and sexual maturation in children. IBD tends to

affect families. Approximately 20 percent of patients have another

family member with IBD.

 

Ulcerative colitis affects only the colon, while Crohn's disease can

occur in both the small intestine and the colon. Symptoms range from

mild to severe to life threatening. An estimated two-thirds to

three-quarters of persons with Crohn's disease will have one or more

operations in the course of their lifetime. Unfortunately, the relapse

rate is high: 75 to 80 percent.

 

Approximately 20 percent of ulcerative colitis patients have to

undergo colectomy, the surgical removal of the colon, which cures

ulcerative colitis. Colon cancer may be a serious complication of

long-term ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease that affects the

colon. There are no current medications that cure Crohn's disease, but

new treatments are being developed. Nothing, however, can be done

without persistence, education and funding.

 

A major national advocacy effort is underway to increase disease

awareness, raise funds for medical research and break down the

barriers to insurance benefits for prescribed therapies and social

security disability coverage. This effort is sponsored by the Crohn's

& Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), a not-for-profit which was

founded in 1967. CCFA's mission is to cure and prevent Crohn's disease

and ulcerative colitis through research, and to improve the quality of

life of children and adults affected by these digestive diseases

through education and support. The only way to get these things

accomplished is through legislation. And the only way to get

legislation passed is through the efforts of people like you.

 

Here's how to help: Please visit the CCFA website at www.CCFA.org

(http://www.CCFA.org) where you can find sample

letters that will help you to communicate the necessity of this

legislation to your representatives. www.CCFA.org will also help you

find out who your members of Congress are, and the best possible way

of contacting them. If you have any questions or comments, please

contact CCFA at (800) 923-2423.

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Courtesy of ARA Content, http://www.aracontent.com