Nutritional problems in inflammatory bowel disease: the patient perspective.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Nutrition Science
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's Disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), significantly impact patient health and quality of life through nutritional challenges.
• Subjective patient experiences and perceptions of nutritional problems in IBD are under-researched, particularly concerning comparisons between patient groups and the need for tailored advice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and explore the nutritional problems experienced by patients with CD and UC.
• To investigate patient perspectives on the adequacy of IBD health services in addressing these nutritional issues.
• To compare the nutritional challenges faced by CD and UC patient cohorts.

Main Methods:

• A nutrition survey was conducted with 87 IBD patients using face-to-face questionnaire interviews.
• Participants reported on experienced food and nutrition problems, their significance, and the extent to which clinical services addressed them.

Main Results:

• Out of 72 completers (47 CD, 25 UC), 82% reported nutrition problems, deeming them highly important.
• While most problems were similar, 94% of CD patients reported weight issues compared to 64% of UC patients (p=0.002).
• Fewer than half of patients received dietitian-led, tailored nutritional advice.

Conclusions:

• IBD patients face diverse and significant nutritional problems, emphasizing the need for specific dietary counseling.
• There is a clear need for further research and equitable provision of services to address the nutritional needs of both CD and UC patients.