Mumbai: Around 70 individuals, including patients and caregivers from various parts of the country, gathered at Bombay Hospital for a special workshop observing World Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Day. The event aimed to spread awareness and provide guidance on managing IBD, a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. Some of its subsets include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Symptoms can include severe abdominal pain, fatigue, fever, diarrhoea, and blood in stools.“Even after living with the condition for years, patients and caregivers still struggle with understanding how to manage it effectively,” said Dr Gajanan Rodge, consultant gastroenterologist at Bombay Hospital. “Diet plays a crucial role, and that’s where many patients get confused. Another issue is when medication doesn’t result in a complete cure,” he added.Among the attendees was Priyanka Idekar, a Mumbai resident whose 77-year-old father lived with ulcerative colitis for the past 15 years. “The condition improved for a while, but it flared up again last year,” she shared. The workshop featured personalised consultations focused on medication and dietary management, helping patients understand their disease better. Another participant, who travelled from Rajasthan, said he was diagnosed with IBD just two months ago.“We are still trying to understand how to cope. It needs to be a combination of medicines and diet,” he said.