Inflammatory bowel disease must be diagnosed quickly

Inflammatory bowel disease is chronic, meaning it has no cure. However, care and a quick diagnosis can mitigate most of the symptoms.

As diagnosis and early action are efficient measures for the best possible treatment, the first step is for the patient to know how to identify something wrong.

According to doctor Alexandre de Souza Carlos, from the Department of Gastroenterology at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, USP, the disease was very prevalent in Europe and North America. However, in the last ten years, there has been a growing increase in Latin America, including Brazil.

According to the specialist, the most common symptom is diarrhea, which is chronic and can last for months. In addition to it, the professor claims there are other symptoms. “Presence of blood or mucus in the stool, weight loss, abdominal pain”, says Souza Carlos.

Souza Carlos adds that, like diarrhea, these are symptoms that last. They do not improve with the usual measures, such as diet education or painkillers, and only tend to get worse over time”, he points out.

These are indications that what is wrong is not just a food infection or virus. In this case, the recommendation is to see a gastroenterologist. Another point of attention is age, given that the range between 20 and 40 years old represents 60% of cases.

Treatment

Once the diagnosis is made, care begins. The professor explains that the disease, if not controlled, tends to cyclical periods of crisis and improvement. This condition, in addition to being uncomfortable, “has a greater chance of irreversible complications, which sometimes even require surgical treatment”.

But medical monitoring can prevent this. “The function of treatment is to enter what we call remission, which is good control of the disease so that the patient does not have these symptoms of the crisis”, points out Souza Carlos.

Still according to the doctor, one of the challenges for a good treatment efficiency can be the delay of patients in seeing a doctor. “Sometimes, the patient himself first tries to modify the diet: remove lactose, gluten, take medication, tea; Ultimately, this delays the diagnosis”, he concludes.

In this case, the important thing is to reinforce that the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease are chronic and usually persist beyond normal.

With information from Jornal da USP

*This content is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, SDG 03 – Health and Well-being

read more

Yellow May Campaign warns about traffic safety

School lunch: buying from local farmers encourages the agroecological transition

Risk of cardiovascular disease may increase when working sitting for a long time