Need for Funding Research

More than 25% of the global population reportedly suffers in some capacity from a functional gastrointestinal or motility disorder, yet in many ways societies are complacent to inadequate care and treatment that sufferers may receive; and complacent to the unmet needs of a scientific community struggling to obtain research funding.

It is through research where the promise lies for better understanding, better treatment, and perhaps even a cure for these complex illnesses. Few people recognize the importance of research concerning such common symptoms of constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas, nausea, and bloating. Each is so familiar. We see messages everyday in print, on television, or on the Internet about hundreds of over-the-counter or self-help remedies for these symptoms, messages that would have us believe that the answers are at hand. But while some remedies provide temporary relief, long-term solutions remain merely a hope for many with functional GI or motility disorders.

Compounding this is the difficulty of convincing others of the need for research when many who live every day with one of these disorders, particularly a bowel disorder, tend to remain silent about it. They may be embarrassed by the symptoms or uncertain of how to explain their disorder when most of the public and even some in the medical profession do not understand the conditions. But there are ways to be heard and to bring about change.

Public advocacy and support for research are two such ways. IFFGD continues to offer a means for concerned individuals to give voice to their needs. Your personal support for research is extremely important. Our own futures depend on the actions we take today. The NIH National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) currently has only a limited portfolio in support of research funds for functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders. If they are not doing enough, who will? The answer is, we must do it ourselves. Through IFFGD, you can take action. We can work together to find novel ways to support research.

We have made progress during the past 14 years. We have raised awareness about disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We can talk more openly about it. Scientific advances have occurred and limited treatments are now available that address multiple symptoms. But while some people are being helped by a variety of treatment options, others are not.  

We need to increasingly put resources toward supporting research. Disorders such as IBS, incontinence, gastroparesis, Hirschsprung’s disease, pseudo-obstruction, or gastroesophageal reflux disease  affect not only those who suffer from chronic symptoms, but also their families and others in the community at large.

We can measure the economic costs of healthcare utilization and lost productivity. We can measure the social costs with quality of life surveys.  We can never measure the cost of lost individual potential.

Please consider some level of support to IFFGD. We thank you for your help as together we work to educate, raise awareness, and support research in the hope of unlocking the mysteries behind IBS and other gastrointestinal disorders. Thank you.