Launch of new support groupin NW

This month is Colitis and Crohn’s awareness month. Currently there is just one Northern Ireland support group and the intention of tonight’s meeting is extend that support to the North West.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects around 7,000 people in Northern Ireland. Colitis and Crohn’s Disease are lifetime diseases for which there is no known cure. They can strike at anytime, but most commonly begin in children, teenagers and young adults. Symptoms can include relentless diarrhoea, bleeding, severe pain, exhaustion, eye, skin and joint problems and in the case of children, impaired growth.

Tonight’s meeting begins at 7.30pm in Lecture Theatre 4, Clinical Education Centre, Altnagelvin Hospital. The speaker is Dr Cameron Imrie, Paediatric Gastroenterologist on the subject of IBD in children.

Further details on these conditions can be found at www.naac.org.uk The local contact details are telephone number: 08451306819 k.