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(08) 6110 0570admin@pdchealthhub.com.auInflammatory bowel disease is ongoing inflammation of the digestive tract, and the two main forms are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Our dietitians help you eat well in flares and in remission.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is ongoing inflammation of the digestive tract. The two main forms are Crohn's disease, which can affect any part of the tract and the full thickness of the bowel wall, and ulcerative colitis, which affects only the large bowel and its surface lining.1,2 Symptoms come and go, with flares alternating with quieter periods called remission.1 Both usually first appear in people in their twenties and thirties, and Australia has one of the highest rates of IBD in the world.1
Medicines from your gastroenterologist control the inflammation, and PDC clinicians do not diagnose IBD or prescribe for it. Most people with IBD are advised to follow the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating rather than a special diet, because research into IBD specific diets is still developing.2 Nutritional deficiencies are common, so iron, calcium and some vitamins may need checking and supplementing on your doctor's advice.1,2 Exclusive enteral nutrition, a completely liquid diet used for about six to eight weeks, is one option your gastroenterologist may use in active Crohn's disease.1
Anaemia is common in IBD, from blood loss through inflamed bowel, from inflammation itself, and from reduced absorption of iron, vitamin B12 and folate.3 Crohn's and Colitis Australia is clear that anaemia should always be managed by your doctor or gastroenterologist, while an IBD dietitian works on food sources and on the drinks that block iron absorption.3 Weight bearing exercise is also encouraged, because bone density can fall with chronic inflammation and steroid treatment.2
PHOTO NEEDED · Add a Hero Image to this condition in the CMS: a PDC clinician with a client, natural light, no identifiable health information on screen
Symptoms are a guide, not a diagnosis. Your GP confirms the diagnosis; our team helps you manage it day to day.
The teams and services that most often support people with this condition. They work from one shared plan, and one GP referral reaches all of them.
This page follows Australian guidance: healthdirect Australia's Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis information, and Crohn's and Colitis Australia's anaemia in IBD resource developed with GI DREAM.
Exclusive enteral nutrition, a completely liquid diet used for about six to eight weeks, is the one dietary therapy used in active Crohn's disease, and your gastroenterologist decides whether it is right for you. Outside that, most people are advised to eat along the lines of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Highly restrictive diets found online can leave you malnourished without reducing inflammation.
Not as a starting point. We look at what you are actually eating, what you are losing in a flare, and whether iron, calcium and vitamins are covered. If a short term change is useful, we set a plan to get food back in afterwards.
In IBD, iron can be low because of blood loss from inflamed bowel, because inflammation itself interferes with iron use, and because absorption drops when the small bowel is involved. Some medicines also reduce iron and vitamin B12 absorption. Your doctor or gastroenterologist decides on iron tablets or an infusion, and we work on food and on moving tea, coffee and wine away from meals.
You can book a dietitian, exercise physiologist or pharmacist appointment at PDC without a referral. Your GP can tell you whether any Medicare funded allied health visits apply to you, which does need a referral from them. Either way we write back to your GP and gastroenterologist so your care stays joined up.
Yes. We offer telehealth across all our disciplines, which suits IBD reviews well, and it means a flare does not stop you being seen. We also provide services to residential aged care facilities and through Support at Home.
Tell us what is going on and we will point you to the right discipline, or to more than one. Most people start with a single appointment and leave with a plan the rest of the team can see.
Or go straight to a service
Phone (08) 6110 0570 · Medicare, NDIS, DVA and private options across our services
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Send an online referral in under two minutes. One referral reaches every discipline at PDC Health Hub.
