Open AccessP034 State of Health Maintenance Among IBD Patients at a Tertiary Care Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Author(s) -
Aldhaleei Wafa,
Abdulqader Almessabi,
Wallace Michael,
Talha A. Malik
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the american journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.907
H-Index - 252
eISSN - 1572-0241
pISSN - 0002-9270
DOI - 10.14309/01.ajg.0000798736.44273.fa
Subject(s) - medicine , inflammatory bowel disease , population , health care , colonoscopy , ulcerative colitis , infliximab , disease , family medicine , cancer , colorectal cancer , environmental health , economics , economic growth
Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affecting 6.8 million persons globally. Treatment of IBD focuses largely on immune suppression or modulation using corticosteroids, aminosalicylates, thiopurines, or biologic agents. These agents are effective but most of them pose a risk of infections, cancers, and osteoporosis. Many of these complications can be prevented by implementing vaccination, cancer screening, and bone health programs. Despite the progress in IBD care, recent data suggest that many IBD patients do not get preventative services. Previous studies have examined rates of vaccinations and other health maintenance metrics in North America and Europe where IBD patients are mainly of European and African descent. In comparison, Middle Eastern and Asian descent persons comprise the majority of the IBD population in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates (UAE), a major country in the Gulf region of the Middle East. Little is known to date about the state of IBD preventative care in this region. We sought to assess the proportion of patients with IBD that underwent recommended vaccinations, cancer screening (surveillance colonoscopy, PAP smear, annual skin examination), and bone health evaluation at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), the largest tertiary care hospital in Abu Dhabi.