Diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease can take one to five years.

Madrid, May 13 (EFE). inflammatory bowel diseases have a “difficult and slow” diagnosis, since in 45% of cases it may take more than a year to establish an accurate diagnosis from the moment the first symptoms appear, and in 17% of cases – more than 5 years.

In addition, according to the report of the Spanish Working Group on Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (Geteccu), more than 300,000 cases have been reported in Spain, of which between 85,000 and 150,000 are patients with ulcerative colitisand it is estimated that in about 25% of people the inflammatory process begins before the age of 20.

This disease affects everyday aspects such as traveling on public transport, socializing with friends or attending work meetings, as its most prominent symptom is urinary incontinence when going to the toilet.

Inflammatory bowel diseases: ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that, in addition to urgently to the toilet constantly, this may cause fatigue, abdominal pain or increased levels of depression and anxiety.

Regarding this particular pathology, the medical director of Lilly Spain: Jose Antonio Sacristanannounced new treatmentavailable in Spain and included in government funding Ministry of Healthwhich will help improve the quality of life of adult patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis who do not respond or have lost response to standard treatment.

In an interview, he emphasized that the impact on their functionality is “huge” as it affects their social, family and relationship relationships: “At the end of the day, these are patients who often stay at home due to fear of the urge to defecate. “.

Traditional treatments that do not lead to remission

In this sense, gastroenterologist at the Gregorio Marañon Hospital in Madrid Ignacio Marin-Jimenezadded that with current treatment methods, the symptoms of one hundred percent of patients cannot be controlled, since “there is an important percentage, about 30%, who, despite a significant variety of treatment methods, do not achieve remission.” “

In studies using the new drug, 49.9% of patients with ulcerative colitis achieved clinical remission (no long-term symptoms) and endoscopic remission (no colon inflammation) after 52 weeks, and 43.3% of patients also achieved histological remission . endoscopic remission (without active inflammation of tissues and colon).

These clinical trials, which took place at Spanish centers in Madrid, Santander or Gran Canaria, included patients who had never received treatment, along with other patients who had lost response or had not tolerated previous ones.

Monitor symptoms such as abdominal pain.

For his part, the gastroenterologist Marilo Martinfrom the University Hospital de la Paz in Madrid, explained that symptom control was achieved in 70% of patients and that other “important” symptoms for them, such as abdominal pain, improved.

Thus, the medical director of Lilly Spain also emphasized that another achievement of the new treatment is the creation of a scale that measures urge to defecate.

Until now, Sacristan explains, this symptom has been measured in consultations qualitatively or binarily, that is, whether urgency existed or not, and his proposal uses a numerical scale from 1 to 10 that allows us to better separate the influence of this factor. symptom in patients. EFE

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