Living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis—collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—isn’t easy. Characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, IBD is an immune-mediated condition that typically causes diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue and abdominal pain.
But the burden of living with IBD goes beyond the physical pain. People with IBD often talk about the shame and embarrassment of having a “bathroom” disease. No surprise, this can lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
Treatment for people with IBD has improved dramatically in the past 25 years since biologic drugs entered the picture. But a significant portion of patients don’t respond to these medications or find that they eventually stop working. That’s why Johnson & Johnson is committed to developing new remedies, in addition to precision medicine approaches that will help speed up diagnosis and help healthcare providers match patients to the best treatment.
For World IBD Day, we’re taking a look at the impact of this painful condition across the globe—and some of the reasons why hope is on the horizon.
