Abstract
Background and aimsThe use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been increasing in recent decades. Our aim was to determine the proportion of CAM use among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a longitudinal, population-based cohort and to identify predictive factors for CAM use. MethodsThe Inflammatory Bowel South-Eastern Norway (IBSEN) study is a population-based IBD cohort that has been followed prospectively for 10years. The ten-year follow-up was conducted from 2000 to 2004 and included a questionnaire regarding CAM, a structured interview, a review of hospital records, a clinical examination, laboratory tests, and an ileocolonoscopy. ResultsOf the 620 patients evaluated at the ten-year follow-up, 517 (84%) completed the CAM questionnaire, 353 had ulcerative colitis (UC), 164 had Crohn's disease (CD), and 50% were male. Thirty percent reported the use of CAM at some point since their IBD diagnosis, and 7.5% reported current CAM use. More CD patients than UC patients reported CAM use (38% vs. 27%, respectively; p=0.01). Younger age, female gender, and higher education level predicted CAM use in UC, whereas younger age was the only predictor of CAM use in CD. Thirty-six percent of the CAM users were mostly satisfied or very satisfied with the treatment. ConclusionOne third of the patients in this population-based cohort had used CAM at some point during a ten-year disease course, but only 7.5% reported current CAM use. CAM use was more common in the CD than in the UC patients. Only socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender and education, predicted CAM use.
Highlights
Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) of unknown etiology, that affect 2.5 – 3 million people in Europe [1]
X The mean total SOC score among IBD patients was comparable to estimated rates in general populationV. In both UC and CD patients, self-efficacy was positively associated with SOC while fatigue interference was negatively associated with SOC
Longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate the value of SOC as a predictor of disability, medication adherence, coping behavior, and health-related quality of life
Summary
Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) of unknown etiology, that affect 2.5 – 3 million people in Europe [1]. The diagnoses are confirmed by a combination of specific clinical, endoscopic, histological, and radiological criteria [34] Both UC and CD can be complicated by extra-intestinal manifestations, which most commonly affect the joints, skin, eyes, liver and bile ducts [35]. In both diseases, inflammation causes intestinal symptoms, such as frequent and urgent diarrhea, sometimes with blood, pus, mucus, abdominal pain, tenesmus, and general symptoms including fever, fatigue, and weight loss [3,2]
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