HOME
Return to Table of Contents
ULCERATIVE COLITIS (UC) IS REPORTED TO HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON PATIENTS’ (PTS) LIVES COMPARED WITH OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES
DT Rubin1, CA Siegel2, SV Kane3, DG Binion4, R Panaccione5, MC Dubinsky6, J Hopper7
1Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA; 3IBD Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; 4Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; 5Division of Gastroenterology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta; 6Pediatric IBD Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 7Richard Day Research, Evanston, IL, USA
Purpose: To understand pts’ perspectives of the impact that UC has on their lives and to compare this impact with that of other chronic conditions.
METHODS: An internet survey was conducted in pts with UC, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), asthma or migraine. Differences in responses between pt populations were considered significant if p<0.05.
RESULTS: 451 pts with UC (20% mild, 63% moderate, 13% severe [as informed by their physician]), 309 with RA, 305 with asthma and 305 with migraine were included in the survey. Pts with UC reported a mean of =>6 flare-ups/year (NB: normal disease and flare-ups were not pre-defined, and thus open to interpretation). Significantly more pts with UC (81%) felt the number of flare-ups they experienced per year was ‘normal’, compared with those with migraine (64%) or asthma (75%). Most pts with UC believed it was difficult to lead a normal life (62%) and considered not feeling well to be normal (73%). These proportions were significantly higher than the values for pts with asthma (43% and 33%) or migraine (64% and 59%, respectively). Significantly more pts with UC thought their condition was controlling their lives (53%) compared with pts with RA, asthma or migraine (44%, 19% and 37%, respectively). Pts with UC were also significantly more likely to: worry about the long-term effects of their disease (84%); feel depressed (62%) and embarrassed (70%) than pts with the other chronic conditions.
CONCLUSION: Pts perceive that UC has a detrimental impact on their lives. In this survey, compared with the other chronic diseases evaluated, the impact of UC is more severe, particularly with regard to the psychological burden.
Research funded by Shire Pharmaceuticals Inc, Wayne, PA, USA