Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Anatomy Of Silent Pain

If we were to say now that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the least known and least understood conditions in our society, we would not be falling into any error. Living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not easy.

It is not because it is not seen, because The media do not talk about this reality and most of us do not know what it is about, what it entails and how it affects all the patients who live with it every day.  Therefore, today we want to visualize this condition, we want to give a name, shape and characteristics to an ailment that undoubtedly needs greater recognition in our society.

Do you know what Inflammatory Bowel Disease is?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is very little known by society in general and those who suffer from it often suffer from misunderstanding by those around them. Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD) are the intestinal conditions with the highest incidence and prevalence within IBD, with approximately 58% and 42% of cases in Spain.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an inflammatory process through which the immune system attacks tissues in the digestive tract, causing injuries of varying severity. We are facing a pathology of a chronic nature, that is, not curable. Likewise, it must be said that it is complex and manifests itself in periods of activity (very limiting for those affected) and others of remission.

One of the most striking factors of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is that, for the most part, it is diagnosed in an age range between 20 and 39 years, with CD or UC patients being young adults with full personal and professional expectations that are are seriously affected by the main symptoms of these diseases: diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, loss of weight and appetite or fatigue.

It is estimated that in Spain there are between 84,000 and 120,000 people affected by IBD, of which 25% start the inflammatory process before the age of 20. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves a substantial loss of quality of life for most patients. 72% of them, for example, worry about diarrhea and 46% say that IBD causes them too much fatigue and tiredness to carry out their daily activities normally.

What is the cause and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Inflammatory bowel disease currently has an unknown origin. While it is true that it is often related to genetic, immunological or environmental factors, conclusive data does not yet exist. It is known, for example, that, on occasions, being a first-degree relative of people affected by the disease (IBD) can lead to its appearance. It is also important to note that, to date, there is also no effective method of prevention.

Treatment is approached from three approaches:

• General approach : treat possible nutritional deficits caused by the disease itself.
• Pharmacological approach : corticosteroids, antibiotics, infliximab, adalimumab …
• Surgical approach : always depending on the needs of the patient and the possible complications caused by the disease.

The impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the lives of patients

IBD symptoms appear unexpectedly, making some of the most common daily activities difficult or even unfeasible. For example, in some cases, patients are unable to use the subway or undertake leisure or business trips normally. It is estimated that 75% of patients have felt depressed at some point during the course of the disease.

• Added to this problem is the fact that, in general, the population is not very familiar with the physical and emotional implications of patients with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease; For this reason, raising awareness in society continues to be one of the most important challenges for those who fight against this disease and its consequences, such as Patient Associations.

 Janssen, the company committed to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Janssen, the leading pharmaceutical company in immunology innovation, contributes its two cents and joins patients and their families in the search for initiatives that improve the  quality of life of those affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) by launching the campaign “1 minute for IBD / 1 minute for Crohn’s”.

For some months, it has promoted giving visibility to the group of patients with testimonial videos in which the real stories of improvement of several of these people suffering from Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease are told.

To collaborate with them, you can give visibility to these  videos  (available on the Janssen Spain website and on the ACCU YouTube channel, the Confederation of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Patient Associations) by sharing the hashtag # 1minutoparalaEII. Dedicating a minute of our time to them is a lot for them.