3. Background Information

24% of module complete

Bowel conditions can have a significant impact on quality of life. They can be painful, uncomfortable, disruptive and unpredictable and not only affect you physically, but have a huge emotional impact as well.

Over 40% of IBS sufferers for example, report avoidance of activities including travel, domestic, leisure activities and missing work¹, yet only 50% of all IBS sufferers consult a GP about their symptoms.¹

Many people with bowel conditions are too embarrassed to seek advice for their symptoms, so a significant proportion will choose to suffer in silence.

Putting this into a broader perspective, diseases affecting the GI tract are the third most common cause of death after circulatory and respiratory causes.¹ Deaths resulting from diseases affecting the digestive system have increased by 25% in the last decade.¹ This has a major economic impact. The total non-NHS costs of GI disease is £7.18 billion each year, with an additional £1.4 billion of NHS funds spent each year.¹

Pharmacists play a crucial role in identifying the symptoms of people with common bowel conditions and offering effective treatment solutions, and are in a prime position to deal promptly with the problem. Additionally, pharmacists are critical in helping people to understand when it is necessary to consult a GP for further investigation.