Worries and Concerns among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Followed Prospectively over One Year

Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen,Tomm Bernklev,Bjørn Moum

doi:10.1155/2011/492034

Abstract

Disease-related worries are frequently reported in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but longitudinal assessments of these worries are scarce. In the present study, patients completed the rating form of IBD patient concerns (RFIPC) at three occasions during one year. One-way analysis of variance (ANO VA), t-tests, bivariate correlation, and linear regression analyses were used to analyse data. The validity and reliability of the Norwegian RFIPC was tested. A total of 140 patients were included (V1), ulcerative colitis (UC) n = 92, Crohn's disease (CD) n = 48, mean age 46.9 and 40.0-year old, respectively. The highest rated worries included having an ostomy bag, loss of bowel control, and reduced energy levels. Symptoms were positively associated with more worries. A pattern of IBD-related worries was consistent over a period of one year. Worries about undergoing surgery or having an ostomy bag seemed to persist even when symptoms improved. The Norwegian RFIPC is valid and reliable.

Highlights

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become important, both as a primary and secondary endpoint [1,2,3,4]
There were no significant differences in patients reporting no, mild, moderate, or severe IBD symptoms from V1 to visit 3 (V3)
In UC there were numerically more women than men who reported their IBD symptoms to be improved from V1 to V3, but these differences were not significant

Summary

Introduction

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become important, both as a primary and secondary endpoint [1,2,3,4]. Various studies have made use of the RFIPC in clinical trials [5,6,7,8,9,10]. These studies do, have a cross-sectional design, which only provide a snapshot at a given point of time. Results of a longitudinal assessment of IBD-related worries may facilitate patient-physician communication and be clinically impactful [1]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion