It is estimated that more than 50,000 people in Poland suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, including 10,000-15,000 with Crohn's disease. What do patients need? First and foremost, understanding. The aim of the educational campaign "Challenges of Crohn's" is to build public awareness of the daily battle with the disease, the cost of living with it and the possibility of living actively despite it.
Due to its aggressive course, Crohn's disease can significantly impede daily functioning and often deprives patients of the chance to continue their education, pursue their professional aspirations and passions in life.The everyday life of a Crohn's patient involves constant abdominal pains and being "tied" to the toilet. As Agata Młynarska says, "I wanted to show that when you are ill, you can manage your illness in such a way that you don't give in to it. People who have this kind of bowel-related disability, when they manage their illness well, they can work, they can function. For many people, it is difficult to be able to combine work, family activity and illness. Above all - on the one hand - they need understanding and for their symptoms to be respected and not treated as freaks and hysterics. Just because you're ill doesn't mean you're not effective and productive at work. But on the other hand, we have a gigantic number of needs in terms of treatment and accessibility to this treatment, to good diagnostics and, finally, to doctors who can diagnose the disease. And this is a very difficult thing to do. It sometimes takes years to diagnose Crohn's disease, or inflammatory bowel disease in general."
"Crohn's disease primarily affects young Poles. Data from the National Crohn's Disease Registry indicate that as many as 70% patients are under the age of 35 at the time of diagnosis," recalls Jakub Gierczynski, MD, MBA, a healthcare system expert from the Institute of Healthcare Management at Lazarski University, and adds, "This makes it all the more important to look at this group of patients from the perspective of investment in optimal healthcare in the context of direct and indirect costs generated by Crohn's disease in Poland." According to a 2017 report by Lazarski University, the National Health Fund allocated approximately PLN 70 million for the treatment of Crohn's disease in 2015. ZUS expenditures on disability benefits due to Crohn's disease amounted to approximately PLN 20 million in total in 2014.
As many as 50% (approximately PLN 10 million) were pensions, while 35% (PLN 6 million) of the expenses generated 102 000 days of sickness absence due to the disease. Among those who were issued at least one sick note due to Crohn's disease, as many as 63 per cent were patients aged 20-39. On average, the average patient was on sick leave for 32 days a year. This shows that the number of young pensioners with Crohn's disease is increasing every year. Absenteeism due to illness (absenteeism) and obstructed work due to illness complaints (presenteeism) reduce opportunities for personal, professional and social development.