Understanding patients’ experiences with microscopic colitis

Ahead of Microscopic Colitis Awareness Week in April, Guts UK, the national charity for the digestive system and Falk Foundation, an organisation that supports continuing education in the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology, have joined forces to launch a public survey for people living with microscopic colitis. The survey will explore patients’ experiences, from the onset of symptoms and seeking diagnosis, to the impact on quality of life, and everything in between.

Microscopic colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the symptoms can be severe and have a significant impact on people’s quality of life. We’d like to better understand what diagnosis and treatment looks like for those affected. This will help inform the work of both Guts UK and Falk Foundation, including educating the public and healthcare professionals about the condition, influencing key policy and decision makers, and funding research projects into microscopic colitis in the future.

The survey is open to people who have a formal diagnosis only. This is because the survey explores individuals’ experiences around diagnosis and subsequent treatment and management, as well as the wider impact on health, wellbeing and quality of life.

If you have a diagnosis of microscopic colitis and live in the UK, we’d like to hear from you. The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete.

The survey will launch today (19 February), with the results set to be published during Microscopic Colitis Awareness Week, which takes place from Monday 13 to Sunday 19 April.

About Microscopic Colitis Awareness Week

Guts UK launched the Microscopic Colitis Awareness Week campaign in 2021. Despite the condition affecting 1 in 2,000 people across the UK, it’s likely that figures are likely be underestimated because the condition is often missed or misdiagnosed. As a misunderstood and underrepresented condition, there was no dedicated campaign to mark the condition and raise vital awareness of the symptoms, but we knew more needed to be done to shine a light on the condition and the significant impact it can have on those affected across the UK.

What is microscopic colitis?

Microscopic colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, along with urgency and bowel control issues. People often experiencing night-time symptoms, which can be unrelenting. The condition can develop at any time but is more common in middle age. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70, and it occurs more often in women. The cause of the condition is not yet clear, although there are some known risks, such as having bile acid diarrhoea, and taking some medicines. Click here to learn more about the condition with our expert information on microscopic colitis.

If you have a diagnosis of microscopic colitis and would like to get involved, click here to take the survey.