According to the available literature, it is estimated that 450,000 people in US currently have a Stoma and 120,000 new surgeries are performed each year.
The United Ostomy Association estimates that slightly more than 500,000 Americans have some type of Stoma. In UK, there are around 130,000 Ostomates.
In India each year, more than a 100, 000 people undergo surgery in which Faecal or Urinary Stoma is made. Majority of the patients who are living with Stoma is due to the treatment given for colorectal cancer. However Stoma forming surgery may be undertaken for other benign conditions like Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Diverticulitis or complications with Bowels function and genetically predisposed bowel diseases.
In India, every year the incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing in number, but the number of ostomy cases are not much, especially it has been witnessed that in the past 2 decades there is a steady increase in the temporary stomas and a fall in the permanent Stomas which is due to the revolution in the surgical management of Colorectal cancer by Minimal invasive surgery and advancement in the chemoradiation techniques, where in sphincter saving surgery have increased simultaneously with a covering Ileostomy as a temporary measure.
In India there are 300,000 registered Ostomates besides roughly the same number of unregistered Ostomates. On an average about 10,000 Ostomy surgeries are carried out, of which 1/3 may be temporary Ostomies.
In Tamil Nadu, approximately 3000 Ostomy surgeries are happening every year with 70% as temporary and 30% as permanent Stoma. 5% of the total group is Paediatrics. Average age group falls between 40 and 60 of which 40% are females and 60% are males.
In earlier years, the stoma was not envisioned or created by the surgeons but by the forces of nature. For example, the result of a strangulated hernia in those individuals, fortunate enough to survive or those who survive with abdominal wounds with visceral injury live with a permanent enterocutaneous fistula as a Stoma.
But in the modern era, Stoma forming surgery has revolutionised in to a purposeful creation of an opening on the surface of the abdomen which can be well maintained by the patient. These people live normal lives and some of them even enter in to a very challenging professional life.2
Advancements in Stoma surgery and Ostomy management systems have given a new ray of hope that, Ostomates can also lead an active and normal life.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Diseases of the Colon and Rectum; Centennial Articles in colon and rectal surgeon; Intestinal stomas; 200 years of digging Peter A Cataldo MD. From the Medical Center Hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02237118
- Intestinal Stomas Principles, Techniques and Management second edition, revised and expanded; History of stomas–Peter Cataldo.
- Late Stomal complications https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2780194/
- Living with an Ostomy in India-Securicare http://www.securicaremedical.co.uk/blog/living-with-an-ostomy-in-india