On Wednesday, June 22, 2011 IFFGD was called before the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to testify on the issue of functional GI disorders and their impact on military personnel. This Subcommittee is currently crafting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill, and Senators are considering adding “functional GI disorders” to the list of conditions eligible for study through the DOD Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program. The DOD research program is intended to only fund research into conditions that disproportionately impact military personnel or are related to military service.
Click to watch the video, or read the full text of the testimony below.
Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony. My name is Dane Christiansen and I am testifying on behalf of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders or IFFGD. We request that the Subcommittee include “functional gastrointestinal disorders” on the list of conditions deemed eligible for study through the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program within FY 2012 Defense Appropriations legislation.
Founded in 1991, IFFGD is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping individuals affected by functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders.
The phrase “functional gastrointestinal (or GI) disorders” refers to a family of conditions where the nerves, muscles, and related mechanisms of the digestive tract do not function properly. The result is multiple, persistent, and often painful symptoms ranging from nausea and vomiting to altered bowel habit.
Over two-dozen different functional GI disorders have been identified. Severity ranges from bothersome to disabling and life altering. The conditions may strike anywhere along the GI tract. One thing they have in common is that little is understood about their underlying mechanisms. As a result little is understood about prevention and treatment. The few treatments available reduce symptoms in some but not all patients. The disorders are chronic, costly from a healthcare standpoint, impair productivity, and exact a tremendous toll in terms of quality of life.
The onset of a functional GI disorder can be triggered by infection of the GI tract and/or severe stress. Deployed military personnel face an elevated chance of experiencing these risk factors.
The 2010 Institute of Medicine report that looked at Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War concluded there’s sufficient evidence for an association between deployment and symptoms consistent with functional GI disorders. Functional GI disorders were one of the hallmarks of what was previously described as “Gulf War Syndrome.” The Veterans Administration recognizes a “presumption of service” connection for the purposes of soldiers with functional GI disorders applying for disability benefits.
In order to better articulate the suffering associated with functional GI disorders, I would like to be the voice of Dr. Brennan Spiegel, a physician who regularly sees military personnel affected by these disorders.
“Those of us in the VA are now witnessing a near epidemic emerging, and that is chronic GI symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The stories are heartbreaking and compelling; and they are constant and unrelenting. Imagine having the stomach flu; now think about having that every day, and being told that we can't really treat it very well. Every Monday morning, at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, our clinic cares for at least 5-10 patients with service-related GI symptoms. Recently, a soldier entered my VA exam room, square jawed and battle-tested. Within minutes, he was crying, averting eye contact, and trying to explain that his life came to a near halt after kicking in a door one day in Tikrit. His abdomen was burning while in the moment, and he stifled nausea to get through the event. Then, when it was over, he broke from his troop and threw up. It's never stopped, and that was 2 years ago. There are so many other stories like this. We’re making progress but we don't have good answers or good treatments.”
Please consider including “functional gastrointestinal disorders” on the eligible conditions list for the DOD Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program within FY 2012 Defense Appropriations legislation so that researchers may begin working to better understand, diagnosis, and treat these conditions, particularly s they impact veterans and active duty military personnel.
Thank you for your time and your consideration of this request.
