The Impact of Diagnostic Delay in IBD on Clinical and Cost Outcomes: Insights from the IBD BioResource Dataset

Summary

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a long-term condition that includes Crohn’s Disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). It can be difficult to diagnose, which can lead to delays in getting the right treatment. The reasons for these delays are complex and involve both patients and healthcare professionals. Timely diagnosis is crucial because it allows for earlier treatment, potentially avoiding complications that need for repeated steroid courses, hospitalisation, or bowel surgery. Some studies suggest that delaying the diagnosis might lead to poor outcomes such as increasing the risk of complications, increased likelihood of hospitalisation that require more surgery, but these studies have not considered all the factors that could contribute to these issues. To understand this better, we are using data from IBD patients who are part of the IBD Bioresource project. Our goal is to investigate the link between the time to diagnosis and the occurrence of complications in IBD patients. We will consider various factors, such as age, previous diagnoses, and mental health, to determine how diagnostic delays relate to poor outcomes. We hope to identify the factors causing delays in diagnosis, find ways to speed up the diagnostic process, reduce healthcare costs, and ultimately improve the outlook for patients with IBD in the future.