Families affected by a rare medical condition came together on Saturday, August 10 in Belfast to hear about ongoing research at a specialist community conference.
W5 at Queen’s Quay was the venue for the event, which was hosted by CDH UK – a charity which is focused on supporting patients, families and clinicians encountering Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH).
CDH is a condition that happens to a baby while it’s developing in the womb. It occurs early in pregnancy when a baby’s diaphragm – the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen – fails to close as it should.
This leaves a hole in the diaphragm, called a hernia, and the child is likely to require surgery.
It’s estimated over 100 people in N.Ireland have CDH and five babies are born each year with the condition.
Dr Patrice Eastwood from Queen’s University Belfast presented on research into the condition ongoing in the university and patient focus groups give the opportunity for patients’ concerns to be heard.
Ms Eastwood said: “It was fantastic to have the opportunity to bring families and patients together to tell them about the work we’re doing to hopefully improve outcomes for those affected by CDH. It was also a great chance for those in attendance to share their stories and challenges, and get some peer-to-peer support, as well as enjoying a fun family day out after the conference.”
For more information or to help fundraise to improve outcomes for babies born with the condition, visit https://cdhuk.org.uk/support-us/
