logo
‘It can be life threatening' warns medics over common disorder that affects the digestive system

‘It can be life threatening' warns medics over common disorder that affects the digestive system

The Irish Sun14-05-2025
AN URGENT warning has been issued to thousands of Irish people over a common disorder that affects the digestive system.
Advertisement
4
The immune system mistakenly attacks the digestive tract
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
4
Oonagh O'Hagan set up Symprove to support Irish people to achieve good gut health
Credit: StoryLab
And an estimated 40,000 Irish people suffer from IBD.
Crohn's disease affects people of all ages, and the symptoms usually start in
The main symptoms are diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, blood in your poo, fatigue and weight loss.
Advertisement
Read more in Health
The symptoms may be constant or may come and go every few weeks or months.
Ulcerative Colitis directly affects the colon and rectum.
The colon is the large intestine (bowel) and the rectum is the end of the bowel where poo is stored.
Small
Advertisement
Most read in The Irish Sun
Exclusive
Exclusive
The main symptoms are:
Recurring diarrhoea, which may contain blood, mucus or pus
Tummy pain
Needing to poo frequently
Lorraine host reveals health update after emergency surgery and having to pull out of live TV hours before going on air
People may also experience extreme fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss.
IBD is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the digestive tract.
And despite being chronic and incurable, IBD is not classified as a disability in Ireland.
Advertisement
CAUSES OF IBD
The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown.
Your genes - you're more likely to get it if a close family member has it
A problem with the immune system (the body's defence against infection)
Smoking
A previous stomach bug
An abnormal balance of gut bacteria
There's no evidence to suggest a particular diet causes Crohn's disease.
And ulcerative colitis is thought to be an autoimmune condition.
Advertisement
This means the immune system, the body's defence against infection, goes wrong and attacks healthy tissue.
The most popular theory is that the immune system mistakes harmless bacteria inside the colon as a threat and attacks the tissues of the colon, causing it to become inflamed.
Exactly what causes the immune system to behave in this way is unclear but many experts think it's a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
TREATMENTS AVAILABLE
There's no cure for Crohn's disease, but treatment can help ease or control your symptoms.
Advertisement
Medicines are the main treatment and may include:
steroids to reduce inflammation - for example, prednisolone
immunosuppressants - if steroids do not help to reduce inflammation
biological medicines - if other medicines do not help
Treatment for ulcerative colitis aims to relieve symptoms during a flare-up and prevent symptoms from returning (maintaining remission).
TREATMENT
In most people, this is achieved by taking medicine, such as:
aminosalicylates (ASAs)
corticosteroids (steroid medicines)
immunosuppressants
Mild to moderate flare-ups can usually be treated at home. But more severe flare-ups need to be treated in hospital.
WORLD IBD DAY
Managing Director of Meaghers Pharmacy Group, Oonagh O'Hagan, took Symprove to manage her own IBS symptoms.
Advertisement
Symprove is a digestive health supplement that can provide relief from some of the symptoms of IBD.
Oonagh then set up Symprove Ireland to distribute the supplement to as many outlets as possible across Ireland to support Irish people to achieve good gut
She said: "We are proud to be partnering with Crohn's & Colitis Ireland to mark World IBD Day on Monday, May 19.
"Crohn's & Colitis Ireland does incredibly important work in supporting people who suffer from IBD.
Advertisement
"And I am looking forward to working with Amy to ensure that IBD sufferers – and those with IBS – know how to manage their conditions as effectively as possible, so they complement their medical treatment with supplements that can significantly relieve their symptoms."
4
Amy Kelly is the COO of Crohn's & Colitis Ireland
Credit: StoryLab
4
The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Are YOU one of the ‘missing millions' at risk of heart attacks due to undiagnosed silent killer – the 4 signs to know
Are YOU one of the ‘missing millions' at risk of heart attacks due to undiagnosed silent killer – the 4 signs to know

The Irish Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Are YOU one of the ‘missing millions' at risk of heart attacks due to undiagnosed silent killer – the 4 signs to know

MILLIONS of Brits have undiagnosed high blood pressure and are at risk of heart attacks and strokes, the British Heart Foundation warns. The charity said more than 125,000 deadly emergencies could be prevented in the next decade if doctors tracked down people unaware they are at risk. 1 High blood pressure becomes more common with age (stock image) Credit: Getty It estimates five million people are not getting the right treatment. The BHF estimates 16million people – about a third of adults – have it, but around half are not getting treatment and five million don't even know they have it. Untreated, it is a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes and accounts for about half of them. Chief medical officer Professor Bryan Williams said: 'This is a powder keg for the nation's future health. 'Making sure these people are identified and treated is critical. 'Huge gains can be made by reimagining how we detect and treat common risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure. 'But at the moment, millions of people are still living undiagnosed with these conditions, which raise the risk of serious illness such as heart attack and stroke.' Most read in Health Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in the UK, on a par with cancer. High blood pressure usually does not cause any symptoms but it is easily detected with routine health checks. What is high blood pressure and what is a normal reading? Some people do show signs of illness and they can include: Headaches Blurred vision Nosebleeds Chest pains How to lower blood pressure Persistent high blood pressure (hypertension) puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs and it can raise your risk of serious conditions like heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. Here's how to reduce it. Reduce salt Adults are recommended to limit their salt to 6g per day (around one level teaspoon) to avoid health consequences including high blood pressure. The top tip is to swap out table salt, according to the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study, replacing it with a reduced sodium and added potassium alternative. Cut down on alcohol Excessive boozing can narrow the blood vessels, which raises the risk of hypertension. Official drinking guidelines advise that people should not regularly drink more than 14 units a week to keep health risks from alcohol low. Get moving Exercise is good for the heart and the blood vessels. Although the guidelines recommend 150 minutes of activity per week, if you're currently very inactive, just a walk to the shop every day is better than nothing, and you can work up from there. Studies suggest that isometric exercises - when you hold the body in one position without moving, such as a wall squat or plank - are best for lowering blood pressure. Stop smoking Smoking cigarettes is a killer. It makes the arteries sticky and narrow, which can cause blockages. While smoking is not a direct cause of high blood pressure, it can cause an instant rise to pressure, heart rate and reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to the body's cells. Skip coffee Sadly, caffeine can cause a short, but dramatic increase in your blood pressure - even if you don't have high blood pressure. Therefore cutting back on coffee is recommended as a lifestyle tip for those with hypertension. Lose weight The above tips can help you to lose weight, which is beneficial because being overweight in itself is a risk factor for hypertension. Being overweight forces your heart to work harder to pump blood around your body, which can raise your blood pressure. The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test. All adults over 40 years old are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years.

Tesco urgently recalls THREE lunch favourites over fears of diarrhoea & vomiting as shoppers warned ‘do not eat'
Tesco urgently recalls THREE lunch favourites over fears of diarrhoea & vomiting as shoppers warned ‘do not eat'

The Irish Sun

time7 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Tesco urgently recalls THREE lunch favourites over fears of diarrhoea & vomiting as shoppers warned ‘do not eat'

TESCO has urgently recalled three lunch favourite over fears of diarrhoea and vomiting. Shoppers were warned "do not eat" as the popular products were pulled from shelves across the country. 4 Tesco has urgently recalled three lunch favourite over fears of diarrhoea and vomiting Credit: Getty 4 Chicken and Chorizo Pasta 285g, with use by dates July 24 and July 25, have been removed from stores Credit: Tesco 4 The Feta and Semi Dried Tomato Pasta was also affected Credit: Tesco 4 Shoppers were urged to return their Basil Pesto and Semi Dried Tomato Pasta Credit: Tesco The supermarket giant recalled three of their Tesco Pasta Salads over possible salmonella contamination. Affected product batches include Tesco Basil Pesto and Semi Dried Tomato Pasta 225g with a use by date of July 24 2025. The Tesco Chicken and Chorizo Pasta 285g with use by dates July 24 and July 25 have also been removed from stores. Finally shoppers have been urged to ditch their Tesco Feta Semi Dried Tomato Pasta 290g with the use by date July 24. Read More The notice added: "If you have purchased the affected date code of the above product, please do not eat it. "Instead, return it to any Tesco store for a full refund. "No receipt is required. No other Tesco products are affected by this recall." Most read in The Sun Cases hit a record decade high in 2024, soaring by almost a fifth in a single year to over 10,000 cases. But separate data this week revealed cases in the first quarter of 2025 were even higher than 2024, with some 1,588 cases logged between January and March 2025, up on the 1,541 reported over the same period in 2024. Aldi urgently recalls £3.29 freezer essential over dangerous disease that affects 1 in 100 of Brits Children under 10 years old were particularly affected, accounting for 21.5 per cent of cases. Salmonella can cause a sudden bout of fever, The bacteria attacks the gut lining, damaging cells and stopping the body from soaking up water. This is what leads to the painful cramps and nonstop diarrhoea as the body flushes out the water it couldn't absorb. Most people recover without treatment, but in rare cases it can turn deadly. Around one in 50 sufferers go on to develop a serious Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of complications. Salmonella lives in the guts of animals and humans and spreads through contaminated poo. How to stay safe The most effective way of lowering your risk of Salmonella involves adherence to the '4 Cs' of food hygiene: 1. Cleaning Thoroughly wash hands before and after handling any foods – especially raw meat. It's also essential to keep workspaces, knives and utensils clean before, during and after preparing your meal. 2. Cooking The bacteria that causes Salmonella infections can be inactivated when cooked at the right temperature. In general, foods should be cooked to an internal temperature above 65C - which should be maintained for at least When re-heating food, it should reach 70C or above for two minutes to kill any bacteria that have grown since it was first cooked. 3. Chilling Raw foods – especially meat and dairy – should always be stored below 5°C as this Leftovers should be cooled quickly and also stored at 5C or lower. 4. Cross-contamination To prevent Salmonella passing from raw foods to those that are already prepared or can be eaten raw (such as vegetables and fruit), it's important to wash hands and clean surfaces after handling raw meat, and to use different chopping boards for ready-to-eat foods and raw meat. Most Salmonella infections are mild and will go away in a few days on their own. But taking the right steps when storing and preparing your meals can significantly lower your risk of contracting it. Food can get tainted if it's grown in dirty water, handled with grubby hands, or touches surfaces exposed to animal waste. This contamination can occur at any stage, from farm to fork, including irrigation with contaminated water, poor hygiene during harvesting, or cross-contamination during packaging. That's how fresh produce like tomatoes, especially when eaten raw, can end up crawling with the bug. Salmonella can cling to fresh produce like tomatoes, and research suggests their texture makes them more prone to holding onto the bacteria. The risk is even greater because tomatoes are often eaten raw, unlike cooked food, which would usually kill off any bugs. It's also commonly found in raw eggs, undercooked chicken and unwashed salad leaves. Once salmonella gets onto a kitchen counter, chopping board or knife, it can survive for up to four hours, long enough to infect anything else that touches it. This comes after another major supermarket issued an urgent recall this week. The recall affects a popular ready meal from Waitrose. It could pose an allergy risk as some packs have been misplaced and could contain undeclared allergens. The Waitrose Indian Takeaway for 2 was recalled because "some packs have been mispacked with spring rolls, which contain sesame and soya, which are not mentioned on the label" the This poses a The recall affects the following products: Waitrose Indian Takeaway for 2 Pack size: 1412g Use by: 25 July 2025 Customers have been urged not to consume the product. Waitrose's recall notice instructs customers: "Do not consume. Package up item. Return the product to your local Waitrose and Partners Branch for a refund." It can be returned to your local Waitrose and Partners branch for a full refund. Your product recall rights PRODUCT recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods. As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action. But it's often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk. If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer's website to see if a safety notice has been issued. When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you - the customer - to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don't there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault. If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer. They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice. In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected. You should not be charged for any recall work - such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item.

Parents call on HSE to make breakthrough peanut allergy treatment available
Parents call on HSE to make breakthrough peanut allergy treatment available

RTÉ News​

time8 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Parents call on HSE to make breakthrough peanut allergy treatment available

Parents of children with severe peanut allergies are calling on the HSE to make a breakthrough treatment available in Ireland. Palforzia is a medicine for treating peanut allergy in children from one to 17 years of age. It has been authorised for use in the EU by the European Medicines Agency, but currently there is no planned timeline to roll it out in Ireland. It works by gradually exposing children to higher doses of peanut to help lower the risk of severe reactions, including anaphylaxis. This method is called oral immunotherapy. There are more than 20,000 children in Ireland living with a severe peanut allergy. The current approach is to avoid peanuts in the diet and carry emergency medication in case they are eaten. Some parents are now taking their children, at their own expense, to the UK, US or other European countries to access the Palforzia treatment. Catherine Dolan, from Greystones in Co Wicklow, is among a group of parents who want the HSE to make Palforzia available here. Her six-year-old son has a severe peanut allergy that puts him at risk of anaphylaxis. Ms Dolan said it creates a great deal of anxiety as the family navigates daily interactions. She has considered accessing the treatment abroad but said the logistics are difficult. "We've always had healthcare in our own country, and it does pose a risk when you go outside of the Irish system. I would consider it, we are talking about it, but I'd be really, really cautious about it," she said. Ms Dolan said she feels it is unacceptable that the treatment is available under the NHS in the UK, and other European countries, but not here. "We need to know when, and why. It has to happen. I'm balanced in my view - I know the healthcare system is really stretched, but I know the consultants are there, the care is there, and the expertise is there. We just need a national plan now to roll it out," she said. The HSE said it makes decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer on "objective, scientific and economic grounds". In November 2023, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics made a recommendation to the HSE that Palforzia "not be considered for reimbursement unless cost-effectiveness can be improved relative to existing treatments". Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Children's Health Ireland Dr Jonathan Hourihane said cost-effectiveness of medicines is usually calculated based on whether the amount of money needed to treat a condition can be recouped through demonstrated savings based on hospital bed use or emergency departments attendances. Dr Hourihane said this metric does not apply to peanut allergy. "This condition is a community-based disease characterised by anxiety and isolation, not by having to go to a hospital every two weeks. So, it's been unreasonably rejected. I think it's disappointing for us as a country, as a country that recruited children to get the licence for the product. And I think it's insulting to the families who have this condition," he said. Dr Hourihane said he attends international conferences and is told by allergy doctors that they are treating Irish children in the US, France, Italy and the UK, among others. He believes it is "a sign of desperation" that parents are willing to travel at their own expense for "care that they should be able to get locally". He added that Irish doctors are not supporting people to access treatment abroad because they are not involved in those programmes and cannot stand over them. Dr Hourihane said: "We are aware of children who've had to attend the emergency hospitals in Dublin having had allergic reactions during their treatment courses, and we don't know what they've reacted to because we're not involved. "So, I think it's putting doctors in allergy clinics in Ireland in a difficult position. They're having to treat children who are having complications of treatment being supervised remotely." Dr Hourihane believes the true impact of peanut allergies has been disregarded. He said: "It's not a trivial illness if you think your child might die tomorrow while you're at work. I think a fundamental problem with the way it's been evaluated is the impact hasn't been fully accepted in the way that families want it to be accepted. "As a clinician I find it frustrating and disappointing that the state-of-the-art treatments that we helped develop internationally [are not available here], and Ireland is a major international player in this area. We're now the laughing stock of the international allergy community." The HSE said the company that has applied to make Palforzia available through the HSE in Ireland has now paused the application until the end of this year. The HSE added that it "is committed to providing access to as many medicines as possible, in as timely a fashion as possible, from the resources available (provided) to it". "The HSE robustly assesses applications for pricing and reimbursement to make sure that it can stretch available resources as far as possible and to deliver the best value in relation to each medicine and ultimately more medicines to Irish citizens and patients," it said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store