AN OVERVIEW ON INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
“PEP TALK BY DR. SREENIVASA D”
As a part of its latest edition of its Patient Education Programme (PEP) in support of World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day and an initiative to educate people to keep a tab on their health during the COVID-19 Lockdown, Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited, a StartUp in the PathLab chain segment, today organized a PEP Talk in the form a webinar adhering to the social distancing norms set by the Government of India. The Webinar was addressed by Dr. Sreenivasa D, Consultant Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Manipal Hospitals. Dr. Sreenivasa gave an overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and how one could manage it during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period.
Having over two decades of experience, Dr.Sreenivasa D is considered as one of the most experienced and skilled gastroenterologists in the country. His expertise and immense knowledge have helped him to specialize in procedures such as upper GI endoscopy, double-balloon endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, colonoscopy, ERCP, and advanced pancreato-biliary work.
Speaking on the occasion, Aishwarya Vasudevan, COO of Neuberg Diagnostics said, “ In support of the World IBD Day, we are delighted to have organized this edition of PEP Talk with an expert like Dr. Sreenivasa who is the right person to educate people about IBD and the need to receive proper medical intervention for such a dangerous disorder especially at times during the lockdown.”
Dr. Sreenivasa said, “A recent report stated that India has 1.5 million patients affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease second only to US clearly showing that it is a growing and emerging problem which people lack awareness about. The pandemic crisis has narrowed people’s attention only towards Coronavirus Disease thus leaving medical issues like these out of their mind. Disorders like IBD need proper addressing and I am delighted to have received an opportunity like this where I could share my knowledge about IBD to people”.
During the talk, Dr. Sreenivasa shed some light on what Inflammatory Bowel Disease is and how it is overlooked by people as the symptoms include constipation, diarrhea, pain or rectal bleeding, abdominal cramps, weight loss and tenesmus which is usually brushed off as a minor health problem.
The doctor went to highlight that it takes a person two to three years to realize that they have such a problem by when it is too late, making it mandatory for patients to take expensive medication to keep it under control and sometimes can even lead to irreversible damage of intestines and increase risk of colorectal cancer.
Sedentary lifestyle, overconsumption of junk food, and lack of awareness are considered to be major causes of the disorder, especially in youngsters.
During his address, Dr. Sreenivasa went on to give a few tips which could a person to watch over his gut health during this pandemic….
· Proper sleep as it has a direct impact on our nutrient absorption and influences our hunger, digestion, and acid secretion in the stomach.
· Involvement in physical exercises can ease digestion by removing fat from the body. It also reduces stress which further influences the sleep cycle of a person.
· Drinking sufficient water again helps in removing toxins from the gut.
· Consumption of probiotics foods like yogurt and pickles again influences the immunity of a person’s gut health.
He went to say that the lockdown has pushed people to prefer not to visit the hospital in fear of contacting COVID and resort to some temporary relief medication which could worsen the condition of the disorder in the future which cannot be cured by regular medication and would require the involvement of a specialist and long-term management and thereby advises people to visit doctors as early diagnosis is one the best way to handle IBD.