Senate Resolution Supports Misdiagnosed Digestive Diseases

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The week of  December 1-7 has been designated by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of  America (CCFA) as Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week  in order to encourage all Americans to join in the effort to find cures for these diseases, help raise awareness and support research.

Senate Resolution 199 expresses appreciation to the family members and caregivers who support people in the United States living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It also commends health care professionals who care for these patients and biomedical researchers who work to advance research aimed at developing new treatments for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

"The passage of this resolution will give hope to the millions of Americans, including a growing number of young children, who struggle with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis that we will continue to focus our attention on these very difficult diseases," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

Known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis affects 1 in 200 people.  They are painful, medically incurable diseases that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere along the digestive track, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require numerous hospitalizations and surgery.

"These are common disorders with bad consequences if not detected and treated early," said Lloyd Mayer, MD, Chair of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's National Scientific Advisory Committee. "Yet long delays in diagnosis and effective treatment are common because people, including primary care physicians, are not familiar with the symptoms. The average delay in diagnosis is 1-3 years and the average patient is misdiagnosed twice."

"We are grateful to the Senate for passing this resolution because we know increased awareness of IBD can accelerate proper diagnosis and treatment," said Richard Geswell, President of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. "Our researchers are working furiously to find cures, and in the meantime, CCFA is taking care of the people suffering from these diseases."

SOURCE Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America

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