Drossman obtains federal support for patients with IBS and other FGIDs

Douglas A. Drossman MD has recently focused his efforts on Capitol Hill to find ways to help support our patients.  As a member of the Institute of Medicine’s committee on Gulf War and Health, Dr. Drossman was responsible for representing the gastrointestinal disorders in their report “Gulf War and Health, Volume 8” released in April 2010.  This report indicated that the development of IBS and other FGIDs is related to deployment in a war zone. The report states: “The committee concludes that there is sufficient evidence for an association between deployment to the Gulf War and gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with functional GI disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia”. In this report only 3 other conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety/depression and substance abuse) out of dozens of other medical conditions were given this rating. The recommendation was based on existing epidemiological and clinical studies of war veterans deployed to active duty who developed these disorders and a large body of clinical and translational literature relating abuse and trauma history to activation of IBS and FGIDs in the setting of a gastrointestinal infection.

Based on this information the Veterans Association has revised their ruling in providing benefits to veterans by placing IBS and FGIDs in the category of a “Presumptive Service Connection”.  The November 17, 2010 Federal Register states:“This amendment is necessary to implement a decision of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that there is a positive association between service in Southwest Asia during certain periods and the subsequent development of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs)….The intended effect of this amendment is to clarify the presumption of service connection for these illnesses based on service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War”. It is likely that this ruling may also increase VA research support particularly in the area of post-infectious IBS among service veterans.

Also on March 29, Dr. Drossman, along with representatives from the International Foundation for Functional GI Disorders visited Kay Hagan (D-NC Senator) and the offices of David Price (D-NC Congressman) and Richard Burr (R-NC Senator) to gather support for “The Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act”.  This Act will provide support to allow medical investigators to capitalize on recent scientific progress and, hopefully, improve diagnostic criteria and develop innovative treatment options .Furthermore, this Act calls on the National Institutes of Health to establish up to 5 FGIMDs Centers of Excellence at academic institutions throughout the country.  As one of the nation’s current leading FGIMD centers, UNC stands to compete well for the Center of Excellence distinction.