Learning to live with inflammatory bowel disease

Living with ulcerative colitis is not a death sentence if you take your medication consistently, says Evelina Louw, 60, of Parow.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - a condition where immune cells attack the gastrointestinal tract, according to Tygerberg Hospital spokesperson Laticia Pienaar.

Ulcerative colitis affects the colon whereas Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gut.

Ms Louw was 27 when she was diagnosed in 1991.

“Before I got diagnosed, I started experiencing severe tummy pains and diarrhoea, followed by nausea and vomiting – in that exact order. Doctors did a lot of blood tests and ended up diagnosing me with ulcerative colitis."

It was important to keep taking one's medication, she said.

“Just by following the doctors' orders and making changes to your eating habits, you can live a normal life for the longest time possible.”

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness marked IBD Day on Sunday.

Ms Pienaar said Tygerberg Hospital treated just under 2500 patients last year alone and that “while there is no known cause or cure for it, there are effective medications to control it".

Dr Desirée Moodley, from the gastroenterology department at Tygerberg Hospital, said anyone could be diagnosed with the disease at any age.

“But it’s more common from the ages of 15 to 35. If you have a family history or other autoimmune conditions, your risk is higher.

“Our main goal, initially, is getting patients' symptoms under control and then afterwards preventing complications and improving their quality of life,” she said.