There is real hope for people who have fistulas because of their Chrons Disease as it was recently announced in France at the European Chrons and Colitis Organization (ECCO) annual meeting that HUMIRA (Adalimumab) is successful for the treatment of fistulas in people who have Crohn's disease.
So what is Chrons disease?
Chrons Disease is basically a gastrointestinal disorder where there is chronic inflammation of the walls of some part of the digestive tract. People affected with the disease suffer periods of flare-ups and then periods where they are in remission, this can continue through the whole life of the person.
Is Chrons Disease the same as ulcerative colitis?
The short answer is No, Chrons is considered medically as an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and it is similar to ulcerative colitis.
Fistulas and Chrons
In a recent study, it was suggested that almost half (43%) of Chrons disease patients will develop fistulas, which can be both painful and embarrassing.
What Are Fistulas?
Fistulas are basically tunnels that connect the chrons affected organs to surrounding tissues. These can include the bladder, vagina, or even the skin. Fistulas are very difficult to treat and can cause fecal discharge from abnormal locations, leading to not only embarrassment but also incontinence, infections, and other complications that will usually mean that the patient has to undergo surgery.
So how can HUMIRA (Adalimumab) help?
HUMIRA, or Adalimumab works by binding Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α), which is an important part of the immune response pathway
Because of this, Adalimumab is related to infliximab and other similar TNF-α blockers. The good news is that it has already been given the green light in a few countries for treatment of many diseases that are autoimmune related including Chrons Disease, psoriasis and some types of arthritis.
The study that took place showed some very posetive results and did point to the fact that the healing of fistulas was a lot better in people who had been given HUMIRA:
- 60% of chrons patients showed fistula healing after 1 year of treatment
- 76% of patients who showed the improvement and healing after 1 year continued the healing up to 2 years
- 71% of patients showed a significant 50% reduction in the number of draining fistulas after 2 years of treatmen with HUMIRA.
All sounds like excellent news, I would love to hear from anyone who has any first hand exprience, if you have please leave a comment.
2 comments:
i have recently had major surgery to remove a fistula which i had for 2 years. i has no idea they were so complicated until i was admitted to hospital. and also had no idea that there was so much info and websites on the internet. this has made me feel a whole lot better knowing there are so many people who have had experiences like mine.
Hi, I was diganosed with chronns and colitis a few years ago,I was given inflixaflab and no it didnt work I also have fistulas did have some removed but I still have lots front and back of bottom area the surgeon refuses to do anything for me so yes I am very disapointed I am still quite young so having a bag is so out of the question I would be grateful if anyone have any ideas that would help
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