Europe is experiencing a steep rise in the number of people living with long-term conditions. Currently, 37% of those aged 65 and older live with two or more chronic non-communicable diseases. At the same time, there is a severe shortfall in the health workforce across Europe. A recently published OECD report calculated that EU countries had an estimated shortage of approximately 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives in 2022.
These megatrends are presenting a significant challenge to healthcare providers which early diagnosis and intervention could help address. One disease area where experts say it could make a real difference is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Recent research has revealed the size and scale of the IBD challenge. A recent Real World Evidence study, IBD Podcast, examined over 2,000 patients with IBD across 10 countries, including nine in Europe. The analysis found that a significant proportion of individuals with IBD are not receiving optimal care, leading to poor health outcomes and higher healthcare costs.
Valentina Tornatore, MD is the gastroenterology lead in Europe for pharmaceutical company AbbVie. She believes that the IBD Podcast study provides a stark illustration of a system that does not always meet the needs of patients.
Early diagnosis and treatment improve the lives of patients and makes the best use of increasingly overstretched healthcare resources
Tomislav Sokol MEP
“The study shows in very clear terms how not receiving care at the right time impacts patient quality of life, outcomes, and the number of hospital visits they need,” she told The Parliament. “So, there is likely a real benefit in improving care, from diagnosis through to earlier, effective treatment, with a focus on improving disease control and reducing hospital admission.”
Leading Danish clinician Professor Johan Burisch has extensively researched the effectiveness of different treatment strategies on the natural course of IBD. His work has left him with no doubt that earlier identification and treatment would benefit both patients and the wider healthcare system.
“Early intervention for IBD is critical because it improves both patient outcomes and reduces healthcare costs,” he told The Parliament. “To address this, policy and practice should focus on creating standardised early screening protocols, boosting public and health-care provider awareness, and expanding access to IBD-specialised care.”
Other experts confirm Burisch’s view that patients are currently being let down by a system that often does not always intervene at an early enough stage.
Vasiliki Rafaela Vakouftsi is President of the Hellenic Society of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis’ and also of the Greek Patients’ Association. She explained to The Parliament that delayed diagnosis and treatment is an ongoing challenge for those living with IBD.
“Many patients experience years of debilitating symptoms before receiving a formal diagnosis, leading to irreversible complications and a reduced quality of life, - all of which result in unnecessary suffering for patients and greater healthcare costs,” she told us. “These challenges stems from a lack of awareness about IBD, inconsistent access to specialised care, and fragmented healthcare systems.”
Professor Burisch paints a similar picture, identifying sticking points in the system where delays can accumulate, leading to patients having to wait months or years to access treatment.
“Patients may wait too long before consulting their GP, or GPs may wait too long before referral, ordering multiple tests before referring to a gastroenterology department,” he tells us. “Lack of awareness of IBD as a common disease in Europe also causes GPs or physicians to overlook IBD, delaying relevant tests.”
The positive news for those living with IBD is that the therapeutic tools available to treat and manage their conditions have greatly improved in recent decades. Those advances have supported improved treatment goals that now include complete remission of IBD, allowing patients to enjoy a better quality of life.
That principle, of early intervention, is something that Croatian MEP Tomislav Sokol would like to see as a basis for a step change in how care is delivered. He told The Parliament that the expanded remit of the new Health Commissioner provides Europe with an opportunity to increase the focus on prevention.
“Early diagnosis and treatment improve the lives of patients and makes the best use of increasingly overstretched healthcare resources,” Sokol told us. “With the new Health Commissioner being handed a specific mandate to step up work on preventive health and disease prevention, IBD provides a compelling example of how early intervention can potentially help address Europe’s rising tide of demand whilst also transforming the lives of patients.”
Article sponsored by AbbVie. AbbVie SA/NV – BE-ABBV-250014 (1.0) – January 2025