The facade of the National Palace of Culture will be lit up in purple as a symbol of support for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), announced the Bulgarian Crohn's Disease Association and ulcerative colitis.
On May 19, we celebrate the World Day to Fight Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, BTA reminds. The global initiative is in its 14th consecutive year to support people around the world living with these diseases. The aim is to draw the public's attention and provoke a better understanding of the emotions, pain, isolation and chronic suffering that patients with CHD deal with every day, the association said.
„Inflammatory bowel diseases have no borders” is the motto for World Crohn's Day 2024, which the European Federation of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis Patient Associations has set to highlight the global nature of these diseases and the need for collective action. Only with complex care, including therapy and lifestyle changes, can CHD be brought to remission or a state close to it as quickly as possible, allowing patients to fully carry out their daily activities, the patient organization added. The association has organized for today meetings with patients with HF, which will take place in Sofia and Plovdiv,
More than 6.8 million people worldwide live with inflammatory bowel disease. In Bulgaria, there is no register of affected patients. One of the main challenges associated with CKD is the delay and difficulty in timely and accurate diagnosis of these conditions, which hinders effective treatment of patients and disease control. The lack of equal access to specialized facilities for the treatment of CKD and to health professionals, especially in remote areas, also often leads to delayed and compromised treatment. Often, people with these diseases are discouraged from seeking medical care due to fear, stigma, limited awareness, and often for financial reasons, the association said.
GIs are a group of non-infectious diseases of the digestive system that affect the large or small intestine. The two main varieties are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, also known as ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is about twice as common as Crohn's disease. They are believed to be autoimmune diseases – in them, the immune system attacks elements of the digestive tract, causing inflammation. Under normal circumstances, inflammation is a normal and necessary reaction of the body in response to infection or injury. For patients with these diseases, however, intestinal inflammation becomes a chronic condition that lasts a lifetime – with episodes of exacerbations and periods during which the symptoms of the diseases subside.
It is still not clear what are the reasons for the appearance of inflammation and exacerbation of the condition. Specialists discuss various possibilities – environmental factors, genetic factors, the immune system, the microbiome, or an interaction between them all. A specific cause, despite extensive research being done around the world, has not yet been discovered.
Depending on the localization in the gastrointestinal tract and the severity of the inflammation in the affected area, the symptoms of IBD can vary from mild to severe. They usually include prolonged diarrhea (over a month), abdominal cramps and pain, a feeling of urgent need to visit the toilet, rectal bleeding. Symptoms that can also accompany VCHZ are loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, night sweats, increased body temperature, violation of the normal menstrual cycle.
CHD can affect people regardless of their gender, age or race. The main risk factors for the occurrence of chronic VCHZ are smoking, reduced exposure to intestinal bacteria, infection with the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), regular intake of painkillers, antibiotics or contraceptives, the Queen Joanna hospital said a few days ago. ISUL“, initiators of a campaign for free examinations that will last until the end of this month. Consumption of fast carbohydrates, soft drinks with high sugar content and foods rich in fat can also be the cause of the disease. Those affected by VCHZ are mainly in the 15-35 age group.