Radio Forth campaign helps 1k Scots get checked for Crohn's disease
Our special coverage looked at the difficulties of diagnosing Crohn's and spoke to Scots living with the condition
Last updated 23rd Nov 2022
More than 1,000 Scots have taken a potentially life-saving test, following our campaign to raise awareness of Crohn's Disease.
The symptom checker was launched by Crohn's and Colitis UK, after research by the charity found nearly one in five Scots would not go to their GP over bowel issues because of fear or embarrassment.
Radio Forth's special coverage looked at the difficulties of diagnosing Crohn's and spoke to Scots living with the condition.
Sarah Sleet is the Chief Executive of Crohn's and Colitis UK and said: "Radio Forth have been fantastic in supporting this campaign, it's made a real difference because it's brought the issue to people's attention."
"We've been absolutely thrilled that our symptom checker, to get people to identify whether possibly they have Crohn's or Colitis, has been a huge success. Over a thousand people in Scotland have already completed the symptom checker."
Filling out Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s new symptom checker for gut issues takes just 30 seconds and will help people find out if they need to see a GP for gut problems.
The charity’s campaign has won the backing of politicians including Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Humza Yousaf.
READ MORE: Health Secretary looks to tackle Crohn's Disease after our reports
He said: “I welcome this campaign from Crohn’s & Colitis UK on the importance of getting your symptoms checked out by your GP without delay. I am grateful for their ongoing work to raise awareness of this chronic condition, especially among young people.”
Our Senior Reporter Lewis Michie also has his own personal experience of the impact of Crohn's, through his Mum, Gill.
Gill's Story
"I started looking into this story because of myMum. She had Crohn's disease, and it took her nearly a decade to eventually be diagnosed.
"Once she finally had answers as to what her condition was, she was able to get proper treatment. But by that time her condition was getting worse and worse.
"More than 10 years followed of being in and out of hospital, constant pain, and worry about if she'd ever get better.
"Last year at just 52 she died as a result of other conditions caused directly by Crohn's.
"Gill Thomson was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and a grandmother, robbed of what she felt would be the best years of her life by a horrible disease."
READ MORE: Scotland needs to get better at earlier diagnosis of bowel disease
"Researching this story has revealed that unfortunately my Mum's case was not uncommon, many people are still struggling for years to be diagnosed, being told they have other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)."
"The charity Crohn's & Colitis UK want to see this tackled by more money being invested into services, and more awareness about the condition - as well as Colitis, which is similar - being raised in the public."
Sarah Sleet is the charity's Chief Executive:
"Across the UK, there are over 500,000 people who have been diagnosed with the conditions about 200,000 with Crohn's disease. And in Scotland, what that means is 45,000 People with these conditions, so it's a lot and it's growing, because it's a lifelong condition, there's no cure."
Around a quarter of the people diagnosed with these conditions are under the age of 30 - that's despite the misconception they are more often issues found among older people.
They are life-long conditions, meaning constant treatment and care and changing situations.
On troubles getting diagnosed, Sarah said:
"Something like one in four people take more than a year to get diagnosed. That's a big problem. Because the longer that you take to get diagnosed, the more likely it is that you have serious complications or symptoms that are really difficult to get on top of.
"So it's a big issue today."
Alanah's Story
Alanah Campbell, 28, from Inverness, waited 10 years for a diagnosis, experiencing severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea, and blood in her poo.
She believes she could have been diagnosed a lot earlier if she’d had the results of a symptom checker to share with her GP, who initially diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome.
READ MORE: "You just you kind of start to think you're going crazy."
“It would have helped me so much when I was in the process of being diagnosed and I’d have felt a lot more comfortable and empowered being able to take that information to my GP,” she says.
30 second symptom checker
The symptom checker not only provides you with a list of your results, but with a note to give your GP on the charity’s recommendations for further tests.
This is after a UK wide poll conducted by the charity showed one in ten Scots said they would avoid seeing a GP over bowel problems because their symptoms would not be taken seriously.
READ MORE: How to spot the signs of Crohn's Disease and Colitis
Alanah adds, “When talking to a GP about your symptoms it can be very overwhelming, and difficult to get across a full picture of what’s happening to you. A check list backed by Crohn’s & Colitis UK to take into the appointment would give you the confidence that you’ll be taken seriously, and be given the right diagnosis as soon as possible.”
In Scotland, one in four people will take over a year to be diagnosed with Crohn’s or Colitis with nearly half ending up in A&E at least once before they are diagnosed.
"Radio Forth have been fantastic in supporting this campaign, it's made a real difference because it's brought the issue to people's attention."
Crohn’s & Colitis UK CEO Sarah Sleet said: “Delays can be devastating, affecting people’s ability to do their jobs, go to school or college, socialise or have relationships.
“The earlier people can get diagnosed, the earlier they can be treated and the better they will do, so we’d urge everyone to use the checker as soon as symptoms appear. So get checked if you have diarrhoea, stomach pain or see blood in your poo, even if you don’t have all the symptoms, or their symptoms come and go every few weeks or months.”
Crohn's & Colitis UK will be launching their campaign in Scotland at Holyrood on 14 December, with up to 60 parliamentarians, clinicians, patients and health leaders expected to attend.
Find the symptom checker at www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk