If you have inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, you are at increased risk for an anxiety disorder, a new study suggests.
“Patients with IBD face substantial chronic physical problems associated with the disease,” says lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, a professor at the University of Toronto. “The additional burden of anxiety disorders makes life much more challenging so this ‘double jeopardy’ must be addressed.”
Nearly 300 adults with a diagnosis of an inflammatory bowel disease were studied. Researchers found these patients were twice as likely to have had a generalized anxiety disorder at some point in their lives than adults without Crohn’s or colitis. For women, the risk increases exponentially. Women were four times more likely than men to have an anxiety disorder.
Findings were published online in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
“The study draws attention to the need for routine screening and targeted interventions for anxiety disorders. Particularly among the most vulnerable patients with IBD: women, individuals who are in chronic pain, and those with a history of childhood sexual abuse,” said study co-author and adjunct lecturer Joanne Sulman. Sulman is also from the University of Toronto.
To avoid the potential for anxiety related disorders, patients with IBS should consider an ostomy treatment options.
Traditional ileostomies are called Brook ileostomies. With this option, you’ll wear an ileostomy bag on the outside of your body. With a Brooke ileostomy, you won’t be able to control when you eliminate waste. You skin may also become damaged around the stoma, or opening in your abdomen. Many people successfully live with a ileostomy bag, but there are other options that provide more independence and freedom.
If you have an ileoanal J-pouch, you’ll have a reservoir that connects your intestine to the anus. ​With this option, you’ll have between four to seven bowel movements a day. You’ll also be able to control when you empty the pouch. However, patients with a J-pouch can still experience leakage, skin irritation, gas and fistulas.
A Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir, or BCIR pouch, is the best option for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Polyposis. A small pouch is made from your small intestine with a self-sealing valve, also made from the intestine. That keeps the waste and gas inside the internal pouch until you evacuate it by inserting a catheter.
Most patients empty their pouch three to five times each day. The stoma is flat, and you’ll need just a discreet covering to absorb mucus. No stool will leak out onto your clothes
Learn more about your ostomy treatment options by contacting The Center for Ileostomy Surgery at Olympia Medical Center today.