Search

Introduction. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), constitute a group of chronic inflammatory conditions affecting the digestive system. The etiology of these conditions is complex, resulting from the interaction of genetic factors with environmental factors, lifestyle, and intestinal dysbiosis. The diagnosis is established based on clinical examination and general and specific paraclinical examinations (fecal calprotectin, digestive endoscopy). The most frequent intestinal complications are strictures for both IBDs, and in CD, fistulas and abscesses, especially perianal ones, may occur. There is no curative treatment for IBD; pharmacological therapy includes immunomodulatory drugs and monoclonal antibodies. Quality of life. To quantify patients’ quality of life more objectively, various questionnaires have been developed and implemented. Patients with IBD have significantly lower quality of life than healthy individuals. Multidisciplinary team. As IBD are chronic pathologies with a long and unpredictable course, they require high-quality management as early as possible from the time of diagnosis. The key to achieving the best outcomes is the multidisciplinary patient-oriented care. Conclusions. Evaluating the quality of life of patients with IBD is essential for several reasons. A multidisciplinary team, involving the family physician, gastroenterologist, psychologist, or other specialists, is essential for providing quality care to these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron deficiency anemia is a pathology caused by hemoglobinosynthesis disorder, with a significant decrease in iron deposits in the body. Iron deficiency has several important causes, among which we mention: inadequate intake of iron, early childhood growth and development, pregnancy – by increased need, small but repeated bleeding, abundant menstruation, metrorrhages, fibroids, gastric or duodenal ulcer, hemorrhoidal disease, oncological pathology, malabsorption syndromes, inflammatory bowel diseases, parasitosis etc. Iron deficiency anemia can be isolated or may be in the context of chronic diseases (chronic heart failure, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel syndromes, cancer) etc. Anemia can be asymptomatic for a long time. The symptoms that may appear are not specific: pallor, fatigue, lethargy, dizziness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sweating, palpitations, insomnia. Clinical signs can highlight angular cheilitis, atrophic glossitis, dry skin, diffuse alopecia and soft nails. Decreased intelligence, depression and decreased immunity can also be due to iron deficiency. In the human body there are about 3-4 grams of iron. Ferritin is the main storehouse of iron in the body. To diagnose iron deficiency anemia, there are necessary laboratory tests for the value of hemoglobin, perform serum ferritin – the most important test, along with transferrin saturation and serum iron, since iron deficiency can exist independently of the presence of anemia. Serum ferritin loses its strength in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in case there is concomitant inflammation, being an acute phase protein. Iron deficiency anemia always has a cause, being very important to diagnose the underlying disease and treat it. The treatment of iron deficiency anemia is carried out depending on the severity of the anemia and depending on the patient’s condition, with oral, parenteral preparations or even blood transfusions. The treatment follows a serum ferritin value above 50 ng/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the pediatric population constantly increases. In Crohn’s disease, the most common symptoms in the pediatric population are abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss; extraintestinal manifestations may include arthralgia, foot-and-mouth disease, and erythema nodosum, which are generally associated with increased disease severity. Here, we proposed to review the most important aspects of IBD to facilitate early detection and management in primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron deficiency is a major public health problem. It is the most common nutritional deficiency and, through its complex role in the body, iron has an important impact on the quality of life, cognition and activity of the individual. It is a common comorbidity, with a significant impact on the evolution of the disease in patients with heart failure, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. Early diagnosis must be a closely monitored goal. The groups at high risk for iron deficiency are represented by: infants, young children, adolescents, women of childbearing age, pregnant, menopausal women, patients with certain chronic diseases. The therapeutic intervention aims at prophylaxis as well as curative treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflamatory bowel diseases are chronic and disabling for patients with many complications and so they need special attention in diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. There is scientific proof that treating patients in dedicated centers, by inflammatory bowel disease experts, is more successfull than treating them in a regular one by community gastroenterologists. Furthermore, there is also a great difference between some of these centers regarding the treatment and the screening of dysplasia and colorectal cancer, as the example of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston stands. In these last years, the most important gastroenterology associations have released a bunch of guides that stand for the same quality measures such as recommending steroid-sparing therapy after 60 days, influenza and penumococcal vaccine, assesing for HBV and TB, before anti-TNF treatment and also dysplasia surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]