Research
COVID-19 vaccinations in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Advances in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have substantially improved disease activity and quality of life, and reduced hospitalisation rates and the need for surgery. However, prolonged immunosuppression in these patients can result in increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Many of these infections are preventable through vaccination and immunisation strategies that […]
News
‘I couldn’t go on the way I was’
She’s the ABC radio host who is adept at drawing out others’ stories, but in a new memoir, Jacinta Parsons details her own, often harrowing, struggle with Crohn’s disease. Although she’s long been in the public eye, Parsons says that initially she felt sick about airing such personal matters in the book, called Unseen: The Secret […]
News
Jacinta Parsons on living with chronic illness ‘I couldn’t feel my body properly’
Like many chronically ill people, Jacinta Parsons was terrified of appearing to be sick. She could date it back to being a three-year-old, when her appendix ruptured. Already her fear of hospitals loomed as large: as doctors pressed down on her pelvis she convinced them there was no pain. Then, at five, the vulnerability of […]
Blog
‘Biofeedback’ could ease headaches, anxiety — and maybe a lot else
The research on biofeedback Researchers have been exploring biofeedback since the 1960s. Some of the strongest work in support of its therapeutic power has examined its effect among people with headaches. A 2019 review from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found “high-confidence evidence that biofeedback is effective for reducing the frequency, duration, and intensity of […]
Personal Story
Living with IBD
Video Link Bryony Hopkins has lived with Crohn’s Disease since she was a child. In this film she meets others living with IBD, including Anthony Andrews who is being admitted into hospital for a life-changing operation and reality TV star Louise Thompson. Bryony meets scientists exploring the connect between the brain and the gut, and […]
Research
Australian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Microbiome Study
The microbiome and links to IBD Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising the 2 main forms – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a global disease challenge. It affects approximately 1 in 250 Australians, with over 80,000 Australians currently living with IBD. IBD arises from a dysregulated immune response to alterations in the gut microbiota in […]
Research
Rare immune cells drive gut repair
A team of scientists, led by King’s College London, have discovered an unexpected tissue reparative role for a rare immune cell type in the gut that could tip toward fibrosis or cancer if abnormal or impaired. The breakthrough, revealed in a paper published in Nature Materials, will have important implications for treating patients who suffer from […]
Blog
Top 5 wellbeing tips with Flic
Make a few small changes in your everyday life and see big differences. Corethentic founder and Live Fearless Challenge Ambassador, Flic Manning shares with us a few ways to treat yourself well and be mindful of your body and mind. Tip 1 Having IBD means that wellbeing needs to be your first priority. You not […]
Research
The psychosocial burden of inflammatory bowel disease in adolescents and young adults
Methods Young people with IBD provided demographic information and psychosocial data via a cross‐sectional self‐report survey. Psychosocial data included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K‐10), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS‐10), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ), World Health Organisation Wellbeing Index (WHO‐5), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Short Quality of Life Questionnaire for IBD (SIBDQ), […]
Research
Immune cells sculpt circuits in the brain
Immune cells play an unexpected role in fine-tuning the brain’s neural circuits, according to research published in September, 2020 in Neuron. The immune cells that reside there, known as microglia, not only protect the brain from infection and inflammation, they also help physically sculpt circuits in the developing brain. The new work demonstrates that microglia also […]
