Researchers to address HRQOL issues for pediatric patients with IBD at annual conference

The management of children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis has evolved significantly over the past decade. With a surge of pediatric research in the field, quality of life has become an important focus of study, as indicated by the number of related abstracts that will be presented at the 2010 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's Clinical & Research Conference beginning tomorrow in Hollywood, Florida. More than 200 clinical and basic research abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the annual conference and many address health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues, especially for adolescents and teens, who make up approximately 10% of the total IBD population. The large number of significant abstracts submitted to the conference this year outlining pediatric clinical studies prompted organizers to add a new conference session to address this important information.

Two of the top abstracts address the prevalent challenges to HRQOL for adolescents with IBD of social isolation and patient adherence to medication schedules.

Clinical researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health will present information on a background study conducted to assist in the development of a special clinic for adolescent IBD patients that may be the next step in the evolution of care for children with IBD. Assessing the needs and habits of both patients and parents, researchers hope to use these results to develop a new empowering tool featuring web-based education and social media such as Facebook and Twitter to help minimize the social isolation for these adolescents and assist them with the transition from pediatric to adult gastroenterology and self-management of their disease.

Non-adherence will be addressed in a separate presentation by researchers at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and the Medical College of Wisconsin, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin that suggests that assessing the broader issue of the extent of teen involvement in their own disease management may be of greater importance in identifying youth at risk for non-adherence than simply asking whether they are taking their medications as scheduled.

Additional aspects of HRQOL for pediatric patients with IBD will be addressed by researchers in poster and oral presentations on the role of anxiety in youth diagnosed with IBD, guided imagery treatment for abdominal discomfort in pediatric patients, barriers to medication compliance in teens, and parental over-protection and parental anxiety/depression.

Conference co-chair Richard P. MacDermott of Albany Medical College in New York emphasizes the significance of these quality of life studies. "The Advances conference is bringing together top researchers who have focused on critical areas known to impact the quality of life for IBD patients. The tools and knowledge we gain with studies such as these are critical for a physician or nurse in providing the best advice and treatment for our patients."

In addition to the quality of life studies, oral presentations at the 2010 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases conference will focus on improved patient outcomes, the use of new and emerging therapies, as well as better understanding the basis of the processes that cause Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The conference begins Thursday evening, December 9 and runs through Sunday, December 12.

Inflammatory bowel diseases are inflammatory conditions of the large intestine and small intestine affecting over 1.4 million in the US alone.