Publications by authors named "Marjorie Merrick"
Background: The literature provides conflicting data on sexual function in women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aim to describe sexual function at baseline and over time in a prospective inception cohort of adult women with IBD.
Methods: Women age 18 years or older enrolled in the Ocean State Crohn's & Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR) with 2 years of prospective follow-up were included in the study.
Background: Studies describing the incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are uncommon in the United States. We sought to determine the incidence of CD and UC in the state of Rhode Island.
Methods: The Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry is a state-based inception cohort of patients newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Rhode Island.
Purpose: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be exposed to high doses of diagnostic radiation. The purpose of this study is to identify subsets of this population at risk for significant radiation exposure.
Methods: This HIPAA compliant, IRB approved study consists of 336 patients (237 adult and 99 pediatric) within the Ocean State Crohn's & Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR).
Background: Systemic corticosteroids (CS) are a mainstay of treatment for patients with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Previous population-based studies report CS exposure rates range from 39 to 75 % within the first year of diagnosis with surgical resection rates as high as 13-18 % in the same time frame. These reports represent an older cohort of patients enrolled over prolonged periods of time and do not necessarily reflect current treatment approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Crohn's disease (CD) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease with different described behaviors, including stricture. At present, there are no laboratory studies that can differentiate stricturing CD from other phenotypes of inflammatory bowel disease. We performed a pilot study to examine differences in the proteome among patients with stricturing CD, nonstricturing CD, and ulcerative colitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing, and CDI has a negative impact on IBD outcomes with both increased morbidity and mortality. Data are lacking regarding the rate of appropriate testing for CDI at the time of diagnosis.
Methods: We sought to determine the rate of CDI testing and CDI positivity at diagnosis of IBD using data collected through the Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR), a prospective cohort of patients with newly diagnosed IBD.
Background: Despite the fact that the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and their treatments may affect physical appearance, the effect of IBD on body image is poorly understood. The aims of this study were to determine whether body image dissatisfaction (BID) changes over time in patients with IBD and to examine the demographic and disease-related variables associated with decreased body image.
Methods: Adults aged 18 and above in the Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry with at least 2 years of follow-up were eligible for this study.
Background: The effect of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) on menstrual function is largely unknown. The aims of this study were to determine whether changes in menstrual function occur in the year before IBD diagnosis or in the initial years after diagnosis.
Methods: Women aged 18 years and older in the Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry with at least 2 years of follow-up were eligible for this study.
Background: Patients with undiagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are often evaluated initially by primary care physicians (PCPs). Despite the frequency with which PCPs evaluate chronic abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea, little is known about how they approach these symptoms.
Objectives: To determine the diagnostic practices and referral patterns of PCPs when confronting a patient with potential IBD.