Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Conditions
Keywords
IBD, Crohn, Colitis, Function
Brief summary
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are group of immune system disorders characterized by a chronic course with remission and relapses. Canada is one of the countries with the highest prevalence and incidence rates of IBD with 25% of patients present in children and adolescents. As with any chronic illness, IBD diagnosed early in life has a significant impact on the physical, emotional and social development of those affected. Consequently, it is logical to speculate that patients with IBD may not do as well in education levels or employment status attained compared to their peers without IBD. If this were the case, then interventions could begin in childhood to better prepare patients with IBD for the challenges of living with a chronic disease. Alternatively, if it is shown that they reach comparable social or employment milestones as adults compared to unaffected peers then this would be enormously reassuring to children and their parents. Properly designed studies to help in defining more appropriate interventions to these patients are needed. The proposed study includes circulating a survey to evaluate the functioning level of adult patients with IBD who were diagnosed during their childhood. The participants will be asked a series of questions regarding their highest level of educational achievement, the nature of their current employment, and their current marital status. The question format will parallel that of the Canadian Community Health Survey from which data from an age matched healthy adult Manitobans will be extracted and used as another control group. Responses will be analysed for any possible differences between these groups.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
University of Manitoba
Study design
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
24 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* adult patients who were initially diagnosed with IBD in childhood or adolescence (diagnosis was made \< age of 18 years) and who were followed by the Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital from 1974 - 2009.
Exclusion criteria
* Patients in whom the diagnosis of IBD was not fully established following the current North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) guidelines for diagnosing IBD i.e. had clinical, radiologic and endoscopic evidence of IBD (2). * Control participants with other chronic debilitating diseases (e.g. malignancy, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc..) that may affect quality of life and functional outcome
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Functional outcome (highest level of education attained and current occupation) of those with IBD compared to age and sex-matched healthy adult Manitobans | 12 months | The highest level of education attained and current occupation will be obtained from participants using structured questionnaire (non-validated interview questionnaire) e.g. Employed: Y N If No, Unemployed Y N, Disabled Y N , Homemaker Y N Student Y N, Retired Y N Is the cause of not working disease-related Y N |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Functional outcome of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) versus those with ulcerative colitis (UC) | 12 months | The same structured questionnaire tool will be used. Data will be collected on the highest level of education achieved and the current occupation including any periods of unemployment and if this is disease-related or not |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed