IBD RISK
ANCHOR LEAD: FOLKS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE NEED EDUCATION BEFORE BECOMING PREGNANT, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
Over two million people have inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, in the United States, a condition that requires especially careful management during pregnancy. Mary Harris, an IBD expert at Johns Hopkins, offers this caveat.
HARRIS: Education and planning is essential because a lot of the medications patients take may not be advised in the first trimester of pregnancy, and that specifically are antibiotics, such as Flagyl or metronidazole or Ciprofloxacin. :14
Harris says prospective parents should be aware of the likelihood that their offspring will also develop IBD.
HARRIS: If both mother and father have inflammatory bowel disease, the child is at risk 35 to 50% of both parents could inherit this disease entity. :12
Such awareness may allow parents to spot the condition early in their children and seek treatment. I’m Elizabeth Tracey reporting.
