‘Living with IBS in the UK’ Landmark Study by
Alflorex Highlights Physical, Emotional and Social Toll that IBS Takes on
Sufferers
35.2% of
IBS sufferers confirm that there is still a big stigma associated with having
IBS.
38.2% say
their IBS is a huge source of embarrassment for them.
72.4% report
that stress is a major cause of IBS flare-ups.
To
mark IBS awareness month (April 2017) a new, independent IBS study,
"Living with IBS in the UK" commissioned by Alflorex, set out to
produce the most comprehensive study ever conducted on IBS sufferers. More than
1,000 IBS sufferers were polled in an effort to better understand how this
chronic digestive condition impacted on their lives.
Unmanaged IBS can lead to social isolation and even depression:
· 53.6% believe that
their IBS can lower their self-confidence.
· 46.3% of
respondents said their IBS makes them feel depressed.
· (1 in 5) 18.6% of
sufferers say their IBS makes them feel lonely or isolated.
According to Dr
Simon Smale, Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist at York Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust:
“IBS significantly affects quality of life and
patients can end up being isolated from friends, family,
colleagues and even their partners as a result of IBS flare-ups. IBS symptoms
such as unpredictable bowel movements may mean they constantly need to be
within reach of a toilet. There is also the pain from abdominal cramps and the
distress caused by bloating
For many sufferers,
it can also lead to anxiety and depression.”
48% say they are too embarrassed to
ask for help because of their IBS:
· 22.6% are too
embarrassed to tell a close friend about their IBS.
· 32% have not told
their partner.
· IBS compromises
lives of under 34s – with 70% suffering in silence. ·
Speaking about IBS
and embarrassment, Dr Simon Smale says:
“This survey shows
that the stigma of living with IBS is a major cause for concern. Patients
struggle to discuss symptoms like unpredictable diarrhoea, constipation, wind
or bloating with their families and friends. IBS is a complex condition and patients
have to deal with one or more symptoms at a time.
It’s also a complex
condition and patient’s journeys can be long before getting a diagnosis.
Consequently, there can be an implication that the symptoms aren’t really that
bad, or are all in a sufferer’s head or imagined.”
Many sufferers fear having
a flare up on a night or other social occasion:
· Over
half (51.6%) of IBS patients are terrified of not being able to access a
bathroom in time.
· Before
heading out socially, 48.6% of IBS sufferers will map the nearest toilets to
where they are going to be.
· Almost
1 in 5 (17.2%) participants have experienced an IBS flare up while they were
out socialising.
Speaking about the
unpredictable nature of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, Dr Simon Smale said:
“One
of the most stressful symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is probably urgency. Many
IBS patients have to be near a bathroom at all times and this really affects
their ability to enjoy their social life or even, at times, leave their homes
to go on a shopping trip.
Fear of an IBS flare-up can rule patient’s outings.
· 37.4%
say their IBS limits their work and social life.
· IBS
affects day to day lives of older sufferers more than it does younger
sufferers.
· 28.8%
have to avoid having any alcohol.
· Almost
a third of women (29.2%) say their IBS affects what they wear.
Dr Smale
comments:
“Many
sufferers fear being caught short whilst out and about. The fear or frustration
of having to deal with a flare-up while you're out and about and away from home
can often prevent sufferers from scheduling social activities and even sadly
becoming housebound leading to social isolation.”
What is
Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
IBS is a
chronic condition affecting almost 1 in 5 people in the UK today. Symptoms such
as bloating abdominal pain, and unpredictable bowel movements that mean that
having to rush to the loo are a typical struggle. Many get symptoms in their
late teens and continue to suffer for years, sometimes decades, before being
diagnosed or getting an effective treatment.
About Dr Simon
Smale:
Dr Simon Smale is a
consultant gastroenterologist providing outpatient, in-patient and endoscopy
services both privately at the York Nuffield Hospital and also for the NHS at
York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
His interests
include the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disease
(such as irritable bowel syndrome), oesophageal physiology, achalasia,
patient safety and patient empowerment.
He is the Royal
College of Physicians tutor in York and works as the Deputy - Training
Program Director for Continuing Medical Trainees (CMTs) in the York
& East Yorkshire.
About Alflorex®:
Alflorex® is a probiotic, available in pharmacies
throughout the UK that contains the unique 35624® culture.
The 35624® culture
has been clinically studied in IBS patients and has been shown to lower
abdominal discomfort, passage of gas, bloating/distension and regularise bowel
movements.
The 35624® culture
is the number one recommended probiotic by Gastroenterologists in the United
States.
Alflorex® should be
taken daily as part of a healthy lifestyle. When starting, take Alflorex® for
4 weeks to prime the gut and continue to use it thereafter.