According to an international study, more than half (52.2%) of patients with Crohn’s disease and 44.3% of people suffering from ulcerative colitis in Portugal do not have sufficient disease control, which negatively affects their quality of life.
The results of the IBD Podcast observational study, which took place in 10 countries between February 2022 and February 2023 and included 2185 patients from 10 countries, showed that the data obtained in Portugal were in line with global results of 63.2% of patients with Crohn’s disease and 34.5% of patients with ulcerative colitis have “suboptimal disease control.”
The study was conducted in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and Portugal, involving 130 patients from five local health facilities (Santa Maria, São João, Loures, Algarve and Dão). Lafoynes concludes that “there is an opportunity to improve the treatment of patients” with chronic inflammatory diseases.
The main indicator of poor disease control was patients’ quality of life, with the study observing “a gap between objective measures, physician and patient assessment,” which “reinforces the importance of physician-patient communication in order to improve patient management and quality of life.”
The study, published in conjunction with World Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Day, observed on May 19, aimed to estimate the proportion of these patients with inadequate disease control due to the presence of warning signs, based on the latest international clinical guidelines. (STRIDE II), developed by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
According to the researchers, suboptimal disease control can affect long-term clinical outcomes and have a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life, productivity and performance of daily activities, which will have psychosocial and economic consequences.
“Due to the chronic nature of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and the challenges in treating and monitoring IBD, many patients live without adequate control of their disease. Fortunately, over the past two decades, new therapeutic solutions have been developed to induce and maintain remission. “Fernando Magro, president of the European Organization for Crohn’s Disease and Colitis and national coordinator of the study, said in a statement.
The gastroenterologist emphasizes that currently “there are more effective treatment methods that can change the natural course of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients.”
IBD is a chronic, incurable immune-mediated disease characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis being the two most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
It affects an estimated 25,000 people in Portugal and is often diagnosed at a young age.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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