VIDEO: IBD patients in India may deny diagnosis due to cultural stigmas, barriers
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
In this Healio video series, which focuses on cultural competency in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, Sumit Bhatia, MD, said many Indian patients do not accept diagnosis of the disease due to cultural stigmas.
Bhatia, a senior consultant in gastroenterology at Paras Hospital in Haryana, India, said patients are often in denial when they are first diagnosed with IBD or other chronic conditions. He noted that when patients are diagnosed with IBD, their families fear for their marriage prospects — especially if the patient is a woman. The cost of IBD management is also an issue, because women must be married and may be thought of as a burden to their family. Further, families often blame the patients for their IBD diagnosis.
According to Bhatia, many patients look for alternative pseudoscientific therapies rather than getting proven medical treatment for IBD, which can lead to further complications and exacerbate the condition.
“Considering all these barriers, we have come together with the South Asian IBD Alliance (SAIA), with a vision to bridge these gaps and address these unmet needs,” Bhatia said. “We are planning to address these issues by creating subgroups, such as patient advocacy and outreach, to educate and make patients more aware of IBD. We believe very strongly that more awareness will lead to destigmatizing this disease among patients and their social fabric.”
Healio is working closely with the SAIA for this series. There has been an increase in the incidence and prevalence of IBD among South Asians, and the community faces many barriers to treatment and surgery. SAIA focuses on creating resources, research and education for IBD patients and health care providers of South Asian origin to reduce disparities and stigma, promote early diagnosis and improve treatment access.
Collapse
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts