WeAreCrohns.org - The Social Support Network for People Living with Crohn's Disease and Colitis

Working with IBD: Survey Results (2009)   Executive Summary ▪ In May 2009, 966 interviews were completed with those suffering from either Crohn’s or Colitis. Recruitment for the research used the mail and email database of Crohn’s & Colitis Australia. The experience of Crohn’s and Colitis ▪ 63 per cent of research participants have Crohn’s and 37 per cent have colitis. Just under half have between one and three flare-ups per year. ▪ More than one-quarter of respondents are uncomfortable talking about their condition. There is a general perception that people will not understand as well as reluctance to discuss the condition because it is "private". Work life ▪ At first it might appear...

   Basic facts about IBD in Australia  • Over 61,000 people have IBD (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) in Australia  • 28,000 people are living with Crohn’s disease, 33,000 with ulcerative colitis • Around 776 new cases of Crohn’s and 846 new cases of colitis are diagnosed every year  • Crohn’s disease is more common in females, ulcerative colitis is more common in males  • IBD can be diagnosed at any age, with peak onset between 15 to 40  • Prevalence will increase by 20% for Crohn’s disease & 25% for ulcerative colitis by 2020  • IBD accounts for just 0.1% of the total allocated recurrent health expenditure...

New Trial Alert - Golimumab Clinical Trial    Volunteers are required to take part in a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the  drug golimumab in reducing the signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Golimumab is  an antibody, like infliximab and it works in the same way.    Ulcerative colitis that just won't settle  The key aims of treatment in ulcerative colitis are to stop inflammation in the large bowel  so that healing can occur, and to prevent inflammation recurring. Unfortunately, in a  small proportion of people with ulcerative colitis (around 1 in 8), the inflammation  grumbles on despite treatment with our best currently available drugs, a situation called  "chronically...

New Trial Alert - Oral Budesonide    Volunteers are required to take part in a clinical study to evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of  Oral Budesonide-MMXâ„¢ (CB-01-02) 6 mg and 9 mg Extended Release Tablets in Patients  with Mild or Moderate Active Ulcerative Colitis.    The following clinical trial has commenced in Australia for patients suffering with mild to  moderate active ulcerative colitis. Eligible patients are invited to participate.     Title    Efficacy and Safety of Oral Budesonide-MMXTM (CB-01-02) 6 mg and 9 mg Extended  Release Tablets in Patients with Mild or Moderate Active Ulcerative Colitis. A Multicentre,  Randomised, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Comparative Study Versus Placebo with an  additional reference arm evaluating Entocort®EC.    Purpose    The purpose...

New drug on PBS for Crohn's disease July 24, 2008 - 7:28PM About 3,000 Crohn's disease sufferers will be able to access a subsidised drug to treat the condition from next week. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, which mostly affects people aged 15 to 35. Sufferers of Crohn's disease can experience chronic abdominal pain, diarrhoea and bowel movements containing blood. Symptoms include fever, anorexia, fatigue and joint pain. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the drug adalimumab, sold under the brand name Humira, would be available to Crohn's sufferers under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from August 1. She...

 Planning a journey based on toilet access is a fact of life for many people living with IBD. So, initiatives that involve the provision of improved public toilet facilities are of great interest to ACCA. ACCA is one of the organisations consulted by the city of melbourne regarding it's draft Public toilet Plan 2008 - 2013. The Plan aims to maintain a network of safe, accessible, clean and environmentally sustainable public toilets. Also to improve the quality of public toilet stock so that they are placed at locations that best meet the community need.  Melbourne already leads the way when it comes...

 Scientists are investigating whether stem cells could be used to ‘re-boot’ the immune system and provide a cure for Crohn’s Disease. University of Nottingham researchers are launching a major clinical trial to find out whether stem cells taken from a sufferer’s own body could provide effective long-term remission for tens of thousands of people in the UK and many more worldwide. The Europe-wide trial, which is currently recruiting patients, is the first of its kind in the world to treat Crohn’s. The disease is a chronic ongoing condition that most commonly affects the small intestine and colon. It causes inflammation, deep...

ACCA Chief Executive Officer Francesca Manglaviti said: ?We are delighted with the Federal government?s decision to ensure fair access to this drug. The listing of Infliximab is recognition of the enormous impact of Crohn?s disease on Australians of all ages?. ?Listing this medication will give many Australians living with Crohn?s disease, who were previously unable to afford the treatment, a chance to alleviate their symptoms. It will reduce the incidence of life-threatening complications ? and for many the need for surgery,? Ms Manglaviti said. Crohn?s disease and ulcerative colitis are two chronic disorders, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is...

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can occur in any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. While the cause is unknown it is thought to result when the immune system attacks the body causing inflammation and swelling. Pain results from various types of disease activity, from side effects of medications, from muscle strain, from complications, from surgery, from investigations and more. The most common types of pain are that from the swelling caused by the inflammation and obstructions resulting from scar tissue that builds around the intestine causing narrowing. Crohn's disease pain can be...

Maintenance therapy with adalimumab (Humira, Abbott Laboratories) is associated with meaningful improvements in disease-specific quality of life for patients with Crohn's disease, 2 new studies have found. The study's aim was to assess the effect of adalimumab maintenance therapy on patient-reported outcomes among patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease, write lead author Jean-Frederic Colombel, MD, professor of hepatogastroenterology at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de France Lille, in Lille, France, and colleagues in their abstract. He presented the study here at the American College of Gastroenterology 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course. Fistulas occur in 17% to 43% of patients with Crohn's disease...