Results from national surveys of patients with a variety of chronic conditions including ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and migraine headaches were published this month in Digestive Diseases and Sciences, a peer reviewed medical journal that publishes original papers on basic research and clinical practice in gastroenterology, hepatology, and related fields. Authors of the research included Dr. David Rubin, an associate professor and gastroenterologist at the University of Chicago, and Joseph Hopper, president of Versta Research. Hopper led efforts in designing and administering the study and in analyzing the results prior to the paper being authored by Rubin and his colleagues.

“Studies like this are important because they document the real-life experiences of patients and the dramatic need for improved therapies,” says Hopper. “The research that we do can help our clients and the public better understand the everyday struggles and implications of living with chronic diseases like ulcerative colitis.”

The study was designed to identify the impact chronic ulcerative colitis (UC) has on the lives of patients compared to other chronic conditions via an internet survey that assessed a variety of disease impact indices. Significantly more patients with UC believed that the quantity of flare-ups they experienced was ‘normal’, compared to patients with migraine headaches or asthma. Patients with UC also reported significantly more worry about disease complications, depression, and embarrassment than patients with the other chronic conditions. Overall, patients with UC perceived substantially more negative impact upon their lives, especially with regard to the psychological burden.

The article is entitled “The Impact of Ulcerative Colitis on Patients’ Lives Compared to Other Chronic Diseases: A Patient Survey.” An abstract is available for free from the publisher, which also contains a link to the full article text.

Rubin and his colleagues have authored a number of articles from this research, including a comparison of patients’ and physicians’ perspectives on the impact of UC. Hopper presented results from this research at the 3rd Congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), held in Lyon, France.