THOUSANDS of North-Easterners are being urged to sign up to a national campaign to increase the number of specialist colitis and Crohn's disease nurses.

Headed by Fame Academy's Carrie Grant, who suffers from Crohn's disease, the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC) is asking people in the region to back its call.

According to a NACC survey, only one in four patients who suffer from these potentially life-threatening inflammatory bowel diseases have the support of a specialist nurse in their area.

Now the NACC is calling on all colitis and Crohn's patients, families, friends and health professionals to add their names, either on-line at www.nacc.org.uk or by phone on 0871 734 3000 from next Saturday until July 31.

The aim is to collect a million "calls" to convince the Government to improve services for patients around the UK, including the North-East.

Ms Grant said: "Colitis and Crohn's disease are lifelong debilitating conditions, which can have a significant negative impact on the lives of sufferers during a disease flare up. The specialist nurse is a critically important lifeline and everyone with colitis and Crohn's disease should be able to access their skills and support."

Colitis and Crohn's disease affects around one in 400 people, a similar number to those hit by Parkinson's disease.

The NACC estimates there are around 6,349 people living with colitis or Crohn's disease in the North-East.