Stress due to IBD-related hospitalization was the most probable source of medical trauma among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), suggests a study in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.1 Also, IBD patients who reported anxiety were up to four times more likely to experience disease related post-traumatic stress (PTS).

The study included 639 patients with IBD who were a part of the IBD Partners database from February to August 2020. The mean age was 49 years. All the selected participants had at least one IBD-related hospitalization. Two-thirds had Crohn’s disease. The disease was in remission in 35% of the patients, while disease was minimally active in 33%. The participants were instructed to complete PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist self-assessment questionnaire) and the patient experience questionnaire. They were also asked about their perceived sources of medical trauma.

IBD-related PTS was diagnosed in 6.1% of the study subjects; 11% had a diagnostic score of >32 on the PTSD Checklist for IBD-PTS. More women than men were likely to meet the diagnostic cut-off score. The most common IBD-related PTS symptoms reported were re-experiencing (29%), hyperarousal (24%), changes in mood or cognition and avoidance behaviors (22%). The number of traumatic events was 2.54 (average). The severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms increased as the average number of traumatic events increased. Forty percent of the patients reported hospitalization as a source of IBD-related PTS, while symptoms or flare-up of the disease were the source of the trauma. Anxiety during hospitalization increased the risk of IBD-PTS 2 to 4 times. Likewise pain also correlated with the risk of trauma. A compassionate and an informed discussion with the clinician can mitigate these factors and allay the post-traumatic stress.

Reference

1. Taft TH, et al. Hospitalization experiences and post-traumatic stress in inflammatory bowel disease: opportunities for change. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2022 Jul 27:izac148. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izac148.