The influence of the therapeutic approach on the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Upalne bolesti crijeva uglavnom obuhvaćaju Crohnovu bolest i ulcerozni kolitis. Javljaju se u ranijoj životnoj dobi i kronične su prirode, što zahtijeva cjeloživotno liječenje uz česte hospitalizacije, a nerijetko i operativne zahvate. Upalne bolesti crijeva dokazano znatno utječu na kvalitetu života narušavajući gotovo sve kvalitativne aspekte života. Velik utjecaj zabilježen je na fizički i emocionalni status pacijenata što se očituje u svakodnevnom životu i aktivnostima od socijalne interakcije pa sve do radne sposobnosti i produktivnosti. Osobe koje su razvile teži oblik bolesti refraktoran na konvencionalnu medikamentoznu terapiju, zahtijevaju najčešće terapiju biološkim lijekovima. Biološka terapija je dokazala značajan napredak u liječenju oboljelih od Crohnove bolesti i ulceroznog kolitisa. Redukcija simptoma uz postizanje remisije glavni je terapijski cilj. U ovom radu prikazano je istraživanje provedeno u Općoj bolnici Varaždin. Kod ispitanika istražena je prisutnost simptoma bolesti i opće zadovoljstvo kvalitetom vlastita života, ovisno o terapijskom pristupu. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na značajno poboljšanje kvalitete života kod pacijenata na biološkoj terapiji u odnosu na konvencionalnu terapiju. Dobiveni rezultati i zaključci u skladu su sa sličnim objavljenim studijama.Inflammatory bowel disease mainly includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. They are chronic diseases which appear at an earlier age of life and require a lifelong treatment with frequent hospitalizations, and often surgical procedures. It has been proven that inflammatory bowel disease significantly affects on quality of life by disrupting almost all qualitative aspects of life. A strong impact on the physical and emotional status of patients was recorded. It can be observed in everyday life and activities, from social interaction to work ability and productivity. People who have developed a more severe form of the disease which is resistant to conventional drug therapy, most often require therapy with biological drugs. Biological therapy has significant advances in the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Reduction of symptoms and achieving full remission is the main therapeutic goal. Whithin this thesis research conducted at the Varaždin Geneneral Hospital is presented. The presence of disease symptoms and general satisfaction with the quality of patients life, depending on the therapeutic approach, was investigated. The results of the research indicate a significant improvement in the quality of life in patients on biological therapy compared to conventional therapy. The obtained results and conclusions are in accordance with similar published studies