Satvika’s tireless research wins award
A medical student at St Mark's Hospital has won a national award for her work helping patients struggling with Inflammatory Bowel Disease-related fatigue (IBD).
Satvika Adiki's work was recognised at the annual Falk Foundation/Guts UK Charity Awards which encourages research and promotion of patient care in gastroenterology and hepatology.
She evaluated the use of a 'wakefulness' drug called Modafinil, a stimulant traditionally used to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy.
Satvika said: “Fatigue is one of the most debilitating symptoms experienced by people living with IBD yet is often under-recognised and poorly managed in clinical practice.
"There are currently no effective pharmacological treatments specifically targeting IBD-related fatigue.”
Initial results of 50 patients prescribed Modafinil showed 70% experiencing less fatigue over the course of a year.
Dr Calum Moulton, a consultant psychiatrist, supervising Satvika's work added: “These are highly innovative and valuable findings which we can now develop upon in clinical trials."