So far we have discussed topics in the class that focus on diseases and problems which are known by most of the population as very major problems in our society. Obesity, insulin resistance, and stroke are talked about publicly and easily recognized as major issues amongst the average American. Most people associate all of these problems with chronic disease, cardiac stresses, lifestyle problems, and other common terms tossed around by the media. while this only scratches the surface concerning the root of these diseases, at least the big picture is broadcasted to the average person. this week's topic of discussion, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not quite as popular but just as debilitating.
Inflammatory bowel disease can be split into two categories, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Generally, ulcerative colitis is restricted to the colon and large intestine. Crohn
s disease can occur anywhere form the mouth to the anus. Both forms of IBD have similar symptoms such as bloody stools, diarrhea, abdominal pain and extreme discomfort. Historically, these two forms of IBD were not differentiable. While ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are similar, they each have unique pathways by which the disease develops. Typically, they overlap and cause a mixture of both diseases. Some of the articles show how a specific risk factor such as added dietary sugar or smoking can affect one disease and not necessarily the other. IBD is still under research and cures for this disease hove not yet been established. Many tests have shown to be promising, but stopping the mechanism by which ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease forms and localizing it to these diseases only is still under the works.
I think the general public views IBD as a "slight nuisance" and not a debilitating disease that severely affects one's quality of life. One of the scientific articles discussed whether individuals with IBD had more sick days or decreased efficiency at work. In addition to the severe discomfort/pain of the disease, I believe that psychological stress can also play a major role in work efficiency. I've personally known individuals with IBD and their preoccupation with bathroom locations, their embarrassment at having to defecate in a public bathroom, the shame of increased passage of gas, etc. can all cause significant stress in an individual to where they start to refrain from leaving their homes. I believe that if our society as a whole provides a better support system or understanding for these individuals, their work efficiencies as well as their quality of life might improve drastically.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Marie. I was aware that IBD was a very unpleasant condition to be afflicted with. But after reading the article by Rogala et al dealing with social support and self-perceived stress in patients with IBD, it did shed some light on things that the average American may not initally associate with IBD. Issues like missing work, excessive doctor's visits, and reduced activity levels are common everyday problems for IBD patients. But I did find it interesting that their main cause of stress wasn't the particular disease they dealt with but rather work and family sources. All in all, I thought this article was interesting and different because it focused on more social issues that physiological ones.
ReplyDeleteArticle can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ibd.20353/pdf