P036 Clinical and Psychological Factors Associated with Impaired Body Image in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) - Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) - are chronic illnesses that can compromise the body image and quality of life of patients. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, rectal bleeding, tenesmus, urgency, and fecal incontinence. Body image is a concept related to the perception that each person has of his/her own appearance and how others see him/her and has great influence on social interactions. Therefore, individuals with negative body image may experience feelings of shame, depressive and anxious symptoms, sexual problems, and low self-esteem. This study aimed to assess the impact of IBD on patients’ body image, as well as the clinical and psychological factors associated with impaired body image. METHODS: Cross-sectional study including 145 IBD patients and 155 healthy people. As evaluation instruments, clinical variables, clinical disease activity, quality of life (IBDQ and SF-36), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Rosemberg Self-Esteem Scale and Body Image Scale (BIS) were used. Statistical Analysis: Pearson's association and correlation tests. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients with CD and 68 patients with UC were evaluated compared to 155 healthy people. The mean age was higher in the IBD group (P = 0.012). Family income (P = 0.0093) and alcoholism (P < 0.0001) were higher in the control group. There was no difference in quality of life (P = 0.6990), anxiety symptoms (P = 0.3117) or self-esteem (P = 0.7611), but depression symptoms were more frequent in the IBD group (24.83% vs 14.84%, P = 0.0296). Body image was impaired in the IBD group (P = 0.0007). The variables associated with body image in the IBD group were disease activity in CD (R = 0.33457, P = 0.0074), disease activity in UC (R = 0.27732, P = 0.0305), quality of life assessed by IBDQ (R = -0.52408, P < 0.0001), SF-36 (R = -0.56048, P < 0.0001), anxiety (R = 0.288729, P = 0.0005), depression (R = 0.30741, P = 0.0002) and self-esteem (R = -0.43080, P < 0.0001). The variables associated with body image in the control group were male gender (R = -0.19919, P = 0.0130), quality of life (SF-36) (R = -0.42172, P < 0.0001), anxiety (R = 0.255865, P = 0.0012), depression (R = 0.32471, P < 0.0001) and self-esteem (R = -0.40683, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: IBD patients have impaired body image compared to the control group. Disease activity, quality of life and mood disorders were associated with impaired body image in IBD patients.