Influence of sex and disease on illness-related concerns in inflammatory bowel disease

Identifying the normal concerns of people with ulcerative colitis colitis a nd Crohn's disease (CD) facilitates a comprehensive approach to their medic al care. Clinically, it can be easily appreciated that the concerns of men and women with inflammatory bower disease (IBD) may differ and that this ma y have a substantial impact on both coping and treatment decisions. However , sex differences have received little empirical study. METHODS: Significant differences between the sexes an the 25 items of the R ating Form of IBD Patient Concerns (RFIPC) were determined in 343 subjects by univariate ANOVA with disease type and sex as factors, correcting for mu ltiple comparisons and covarying for IBD symptom severity. RESULTS: Compared with men, women reported higher levels of IBD symptom sev erity and higher overall RFIPC scores. Women were more concerned than men a bout feelings related to their bodies, attractiveness, feeling alone and ha ving: children. There was an interaction between disease and sex regarding concern about sexual performance and intimacy. In both cases, men with CD r eported less concern than each other comparison group. The illness concerns that differ between sexes are not the most intense concerns in either sex. DISCUSSION: These results confirm that sex has a significant influence on a number of illness concerns, particularly concerns related to self-image an d relationships. The interaction of disease type and sex with respect to co ncern over sexual performance and intimacy is open td several potential exp lanations and requires further research. Sex differences should be consider ed in the treatment of IBD. Specific inquiry into sex-specific concerns may be useful for the clinician. Further research is required to replicate the se retrospective findings.