Third of Scots wouldn't see GP for a month over blood in their poo
It's been revealed a third of Scots would take more than a month to see a GP if they were passing blood - a sign of bowel disease
Last updated 2nd Nov 2022
A shocking number of Scots could be ignoring life-threatening signs of bowel disease.
That's according to the Charity Crohn's and Colitis UK, who are launching a new awareness campaign and online symptom checker.
Their survey found that a third of a million people in Scotland would not go to a GP for more than a month if they were passing blood.
And nearly a fifth would avoid visiting health care professionals as they felt they were wasting their time or wouldn't want to be seen as making a fuss.
Crohn's and Colitis are both forms of inflammatory bowel disease which more than half a million people in the UK have been diagnosed with.
The charity commissioned a national poll of 10,000 people to find out why one in four people were taking more than a year to be diagnosed with the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease,.
An earlier survey also showed nearly half will end up in A&E at least once before they are diagnosed.
Young people are at the greatest risk, having the lowest awareness that diarrhoea, blood in poo and stomach pain could be signs of Crohn’s or Colitis, which is the case when they carry on for more than a week. While 92% said they’d delay seeking medical help.
Consultant Nurse Isobel Mason, of Crohn’s & Colitis UK, says: “If you ignore the signs of Crohn’s and Colitis for too long, treatment becomes more difficult and you are more likely to need stronger medication, hospital admissions or surgery.
“The earlier we diagnose, the earlier we can treat and the better people do, so we’d urge everyone to see their GP as soon as symptoms appear.”
Crohn’s & Colitis UK CEO Sarah Sleet said: “There already were far too many people waiting over a year for a diagnosis before the pandemic. Since then, that figure will have soared.
“Delays can be devastating, affecting people’s ability to do their jobs, go to school or college, socialise or have relationships.
“It is urgent that we do more to help young people stay in control of their health, and that means providing them with the tools to get the right diagnosis from their GP as early as possible.
“Our symptom checker gives people the confidence to go to their GP with a summary of what they've been experiencing, to help them get the right diagnosis and get back on the road to recovery."