4
ti
IBD page 89
tors in different locations. "Your
dentist is in one building; your
doctor is in another. You don't
normally go to see them in the
same day."
Dr. Sklar said that while all
patients may not need the center
immediately, it is a valuable re-
source to have for previously di-
agnosed patients should
complications arise or should a
second opinion be necessary.
"In the future, he (John) may
require a second opinion or he
may want psychological help or
Your Dad has cancer.
.
. •
He's always been there for you,
helping you through hard times, sharing your dreams.
Now he has cancer. And it's your turn to he there for him.
Will he ask you for the help he needs?
,
. •
•
•
GI Blues
•
Two diseases strike mostly young, Jewish people.
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
Don't make him ask.
Call the Cancer AnswerLine and get the facts.
Find out about treatment options and second opinions.
Ask us what you're afraid to ask him.
T
Feeling helpless is no help at all.
Call us today.
Cancer AnswerLine
1-800-865-M5
Call 9 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
Comprehensive Cancer Center
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he may need nutritional help. We
could help him with that," Dr.
Sklar said. "Patients can have
any one or all of those services
through the center."
A one-price plan will be avail-
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•
wo million Americans suffer from one of two irritable bowel
diseases (MD) that attack the gastrointestinal tract, Crohn's
disease or ulcerative colitis.
The cause of IBD is elusive to researchers. One theory is
that a virus or bacteria in the intestine causes an immunological re-
action that subsequently causes inflammation; another suggests
the inflammation is caused by a bacteria or virus that attacks the
intestinal wall.
Another theory suggests the disease is genetically passed from
one generation to another. Recent studies indicate that roughly one-
quarter of IBD patients may have a close relative with the dis-
ease. Although IBD can strike anyone, patients disproportionately
fall into two categories: young and Jewish.
The diseases are diagnosed mainly in people under the age of 30;
200,000 of the afflicted are under the age of 18. But that is not to say
that the disease is entirely pediatric; many individuals have been
diagnosed past the age of 60.
The risk of developing the disease is four to five times greater
among American and European Jews; Jews in Israel have lower
rates. Ashkenazi Jews have higher rates than Sephardic Jews.
IBD rarely occurs among Asians, Asiatic Indians, Native Amer-
icans and black Africans. Black American females have almost iden-
tical rates of incidence as their white counterparts; black American
males have a lower rate than their white counterparts.
While individuals with the two diseases appear to be drawn from
the same pool, the diseases themselves are different.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease that causes the inflamma-
tion and ulceration of the lining (mucosa) of the colon, also known
as the large intestine. Patients with UC generally experience diar-
rhea, with or without rectal bleeding, which often accompanies
abdominal pain or cramping. Other symptoms can include skin le-
sions, joint pain, and in children, a failure to grow properly.
Although colitis can be controlled by medications that reduce
inflammation or modulate the immune system response, sometimes
surgery is required. In this surgery, the colon and rectum are re-
moved, thereby curing the disease. A hole in the abdominal wall
or ostomy is sometimes created; in other instances an ileostomy is
avoided by creating an internal pouch using the small intestine,
which is then attached to the anal sphincter muscle.
Crohn's disease is a much more expansive disease in that it can
attack the entire thickness of the intestinal wall. In addition, it can
appear anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to
the rectum; most patients, however, experience it in the lowermost
portion of the small intestine (terminal ileum) or the colon.
In addition to the abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding
experienced with ulcerative colitis, patients with Crohn's disease
can experience fever, joint pain, loss of appetite and weight.
Unlike ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease has no known cure. Anti-
inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids, antibiotics and immune-
system modulating drugs are used to suppress inflammation and
relieve the symptoms of fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Surgery is necessary when drug therapy does not work or when
a bowel obstruction or other complication arises. A common surgery
for Crohn's patients, called a resection, removes the diseased por-
tion of bowel and then joins the healthy ends. ❑
c_\