Christina Rees, MP for Neath, joined Crohn’s and Colitis UK and local volunteers at Welsh Labour Conference in Llandudno to help support and raise awareness of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
At least 300,000 people or 1 in 210 people in the UK have Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). This means that there are over 15,000 people in Wales diagnosed with IBD and the prevalence is increasing. This equates to around 460 people per Parliamentary constituency. IBD is a lifelong condition that most commonly first presents in the teens and early twenties (mean age of diagnosis is 29.5 years) but can present at any age.
Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease |
In IBD the intestines become swollen, ulcerated and inflamed. Symptoms include acute abdominal pain, weight loss, diarrhoea (sometimes with blood and mucus), tenesmus (constant urge to have a bowel movement), and severe fatigue.
IBD is a fluctuating condition with symptoms varying in severity in time and from person to person. Relapses often occur suddenly and unpredictably throughout a person’s lifetime.
To find out more information about Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the work of Crohn’s and Colitis UK then please visit https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/