WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A new support group has been established at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center to address the needs of people who suffer from chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.
The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Winston-Salem Chapter will meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Baptist Digestive Health Center.
The support group’s first meeting is scheduled for Feb. 15 and will include a talk by gastroenterologist, Richard S. Bloomfeld, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist on new advances in treatments for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“We are trying to reach those who suffer with inflammatory bowel disease as well as family and friends of those suffering,” said Becky McElyea, one of the group’s organizers. “The group will be open to all ages including family and friends of those suffering.”
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two most prevalent types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The symptoms of the two diseases are quite similar: persistent diarrhea (loose, watery, or frequent bowel movements), abdominal cramps and pain, fever, and, at times, rectal bleeding. Crohn’s disease can affect any area of the GI tract, including the small intestine and colon. Ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, affects only the colon.
According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, nearly 1 million Americans suffer from some type of IBD. Symptoms range from mild to severe and all ages are affected by IBDs.
For information, contact Becky McElyea or Amanda Leonard at (336) 716-5637.
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Media Contacts: Jim Steele, jsteele@wfubmc.edu, Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, or Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, at 336-716-4587.
About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,298 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.