Inflammatory bowel diseases on the rise in Dubai

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Picture used for illustrative purposes alone
Picture used for illustrative purposes alone

Dubai - Dr Ahmed Mohammed Khassouan, gastroenterologist specialist at Rashid Hospital said that IBD is a name given to both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Khassouan said that IBD commonly affects those aged from 14 to 30 years.

By Staff reporter

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Published: Sat 31 Dec 2016, 6:00 PM

Last updated: Sat 31 Dec 2016, 8:24 PM

The prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) in Dubai is increasing and is estimated to be one to three per cent, said one Dubai Health Authority (DHA) doctor during the authority's Smart Clinic session.
IBD's causes, symptoms and treatment were the topic of discussion at the Smart Clinic - an interactive session held every week where the public are provided with an opportunity to ask the doctors via social media questions on various health topics.
Dr Ahmed Mohammed Khassouan, gastroenterologist specialist at Rashid Hospital said that IBD is a name given to both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Khassouan said that IBD commonly affects those aged from 14 to 30 years. He added that Crohn's disease is more likely to affect men while ulcerative colitis is likely to affect women.
He added that Crohn's disease is an inflammatory condition that can affect the whole GI tract (from mouth to anus) while ulcerative colitis usually affects the colon and rectum in specific.
The symptoms include chronic nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, weight loss and decrease of appetite.
Khassouan said IBD is usually caused by genetic factors, disturbance of the autoimmune system and the environment.
He said studies have found that those who live in the country areas are less likely to have IBD than those who live in the city, due to environmental factors.  These environmental factors could attribute to the increase in IBD diagnoses in the UAE in the last five years.
He said that the Gastroenterology Unit at DHA's Rashid Hospital cares for around 500 IBD cases and estimates that the prevalence in Dubai to be 1 to 3  per cent.
He said that those who suffer from IBD can live a quality life if they take medication and maintain regular check-ups. He advised people who have IBD to refrain from eating preserved foods, spicy foods and foods with hormones as they can activate the symptoms.
He added that those who suffer from IBD and wish to body build should refrain from taking hormones and protein shakes as they can cause infertility. "Those who do not treat their IBD can have troubles conceiving, however once they get the treatment needed they would be able to conceive again."
Rashid Hospital's gastroenterology centre was selected by KPMG UK to represent the region in the documentation of good practice in IBD care as part of the Quantum IBD project, which publishes perspectives on the principles of high-quality care in IBD.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com


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