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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Ariella Levine
646-943-7430
alevine@ccfa.org

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Empowers Patients to Better Manage Disease
Online Community features new tools to help patients manage digestive disease

New York, NY—November 10, 2008—The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation unveiled today new enhancements and resources to its online community web site to further put digestive-disease management at patients' fingertips. Since the Community site launched, in March 2008, tens of thousands of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients and caregivers of all ages frequently visit  www.ccfacommunity.org daily to obtain the vital peer support they need in managing these painful and at times, debilitating digestive diseases that affect over 1.4 million Americans. Site enhancements include easy-to-download tracking tools to help in disease management, such as medication and symptom tracker logs, and improved search function to meet the dynamic needs of its users.

"The nature and severity of symptoms of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis vary from patient-to-patient, and in turn, have to be managed closely by the patient and physician on a case-by-case basis," says Kimberly Frederick, Vice President of Patient and Professional Services for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "The enhancements and new resources built into our CCFA Community web site help Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients to take greater control of their disease-management, while staying in-touch with others facing similar aspects of living day-to-day with these chronic digestive diseases." 

New tools on the Crohn's & Colitis Community enable the patient and doctor to better understand Crohn's and colitis through better tracking of how symptoms are affected by diet, activities, and treatment, which can vary from patient-to-patient. Patients can log medications, track disease flare-ups, and food intake using the site's new print-ready documents available for easy download. Patients then fill-in the forms and bring to their doctor appointment to facilitate a discussion about how to better control their disease. Also, an expanded search function allows site visitors to easily find stories on the site's eight online discussion board forums and over 200 personal stories, by user name, specific topic, disease, gender, and age. Users can also take part in a survey to cast their vote for more new features.

Since the site launched in March 2008, over 3,500 patients and caregivers have offered and received critical peer-support and shared their powerful stories on an unprecedented level.

This valuable resource was made possible through an unrestricted grant from Abbott Immunology, to better help users get the support they need in managing IBD. The Foundation advises users to always check with their personal physician before taking any action regarding their health.

About Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery.  These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18.  Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. The Foundation ranks third among leading health non-profits in the percentage of expense devoted to research toward a cure, with more than 81 cents of every dollar the Foundation spends goes to mission-critical programs. The Foundation consistently meets the standards of organizations that monitor charities, including the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance and the American Institute of Philanthropy. For more information, contact the Foundation at 800-932-2423 or visit the CCFA web site.
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