Healthcare Resource Utilisation, Common Mental Health Problems, and Infections in People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Detailed Summary

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the commonest types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Both conditions range in severity from no symptoms to being potentially fatal. Both conditions are treated with medications which suppress the immune system. It is not known whether this increases the risk for infections and cancers in these conditions. It is also recognised by healthcare professionals that these conditions cause a considerable amount of psychological distress. However, this has never been measured in a large population sample. This study will investigate any associations with treatment and new onset infections and cancer. They will also examine the relationship between IBD and common mental health problems (specifically, depression and anxiety) and the impact that these have on the healthcare use (including number of general practitioner \[GP\] appointments, hospital attendances, and medication prescriptions. Combined, these studies should provide a better understanding of the impact of IBD on affected people and provide evidence to support the correct allocation of healthcare resources.

Study Details

Timeline

Interventions