Busting a gut

IBD is escalating, seemingly thanks to the Western lifestyle, and New Zealand has one of the highest rates in the world.

- FIONA TERRY

Raising Simba high in the air while playing monkey Rafiki in a local production of The Lion King, Ashburton teen Charlotte Livingstone relished the moment that only a year ago had seemed impossible.

She was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at age 12, following severe ill health. A colonoscopy and endoscopy revealed ulcers along with bleeding and thickening of the bowel wall and she was given a temporary liquid nutritional diet and ongoing immunosuppressants.

"The medication only worked for around a year," says Livingstone, 17. "I was very underweight, sick all the time, and very tired."

Her gastroenterologist tried other medications, none of which were successful for long. "I'd have massive flare-ups when everything would go downhill. At times, I couldn't eat at all, was on the toilet 24/7 and vomiting." Other symptoms included diarrhoea, blood in her stools, and extreme fatigue.

There was also the humiliation of coming home from school one day and not being able to get to the bathroom in time.

Livingstone is one of more than 32,000 New Zealanders living with the disease, according to figures recently compiled by PhD candidate Angela Forbes, a national authority on IBD epidemiology.

The main types - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - cause ongoing inflammation in the digestive system that can lead to complications such as scarring, ulcers, and cancer.

IBD is no relation to the more common IBS - irritable bowel syndrome - which shares some of the symptoms. In IBS, the gut looks normal but is supersensitive, often to diet and stress. IBD, on the other hand, is an inflammatory disease with ulceration of the gut. There's no cure but it can be managed with medication and sometimes surgery.

Chronic gastrointestinal conditions typically become evident between the ages of 15 and 35, though a quarter of those diagnosed are 14 or under.