AHN to Host ‘College IBD Day’ at Allegheny General Hospital on April 4th

Free, half-day program for students with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) will provide helpful tips for managing the chronic condition

PITTSBURGH – For many college students, life away from home requires a number of adjustments. For those who are also managing a chronic condition like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is most common among adolescents and young adults, it can be even more daunting. That’s why Allegheny Health Network’s Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) is pleased to offer a free, educational program at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) for students living with IBD.

IBD is a term used to describe disorders involving chronic inflammation of tissues in the digestive tract. Types of IBD include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. According to the CDC, more than 3 million U.S. adults are estimated to have been diagnosed with IBD. Most are diagnosed before they are 30 years old, however recent disease trends show an increase in IBD among individuals aged under 20.

AHN’s 6th annual College IBD Day will be held on Thursday, April 4^th from 8am-1pm in AGH’s Magovern Conference Center. The event is free to attend and open to patients with IBD who are 18-25 years old and their families. Visit www.ahn.org/events to register.

Specialists from the AHN Center for IBD will present sessions on stress management, tips for maintaining proper nutrition on a budget, ways to stay connected to your gastroenterologist throughout the school year, and more. Former students will share their own experiences of managing IBD, and attendees will have the opportunity to talk with their AHN physician and network with other participants.

“For those students in our region who are living with IBD, our goal is to equip them with the information and health resources needed for successful disease management,” said Sandra El-Hachem, MD, director, AHN Center for IBD. “We look forward to welcoming students to AGH once again for a morning of learning and networking.”

The AHN Center for IBD (part of the AHN Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition) takes a team-based approach to patient care, employing the expertise of a range of leading specialists in gastroenterology, nutrition, behavioral health and colorectal surgery to create individualized treatment plans. The center’s state-of-the-art clinical capabilities include an interventional IBD endoscopy program that is one of only a few of its kind in the country for the nonsurgical management of IBD and other digestive orders.

To learn more about gastroenterology services at AHN, visit www.ahn.org/gastroenterology.

###