Online Survey of Important Symptoms, Side Manifestations, and the Use of Biological Treatments in Patients of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are two chronic and relapsing conditions that cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal system, examples of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Online surveys may offer a valuable shared space for IBD patients to seek and provide information about their symptoms, extraintestinal manifestations, and management ways. We amid to acquire knowledge about IBD by using social media to encounter the disease and prevent delays in diagnosis which has been linked to poor input. A survey was conducted for patients with IBD, internet-based questionnaires by using Google Forms targeted members of patients who accessed the internet in March and April 2023. A total of 333 patients with IBD, 160 CD, and 173 UC accessed the survey. The respondents of females with IBD was higher than males (53.45% versus 46.54%). In addition, the two subtypes (CD and UC) had a greater impact on younger ages, especially the groups between thirty and fifty years old, causing many disturbing symptoms, the common one was diarrhea and blood with stool, but constipation may sometimes occur, especially in CD patients with 20%. These diseases cause many extraintestinal manifestations such as arthritis and eye infections. 60% of patients used biological treatment as an effective management and the majority of them agreed that the disease is not inheritable but may occur among members of the same family. Furthermore, there is a delay in diagnosis that may reach more than one year. IBD patients showed an interest in using social networks to assist in their education. The use was more common in younger women patients, this information can help clinical populations, promote health self-management, and ultimately improve health outcomes.