Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) was not seen in children until the 1970s. Over recent years there are two more groups to add to this collective name, IBD unclassified (IBDU) and Very Early Onset IBD (VEOIBD). The reason being that IBD is now affecting children of all ages, including babies and toddlers, and can appear unexpectedly in an otherwise healthy baby or child.

There is no known cause for IBD nor for the relentless increase in the numbers of children being diagnosed. These children will require constant hospital care under a specialist, possibly with repeated bouts of drugs, and/or surgery to remove part or all of their bowel. Children with IBD have a very unpleasant lifelong condition which does not have the high profile of other conditions such as cancer or cystic fibrosis. It is common for children with IBD to hide their condition from their friends due to embarrassment. Support for children and families in this often lonely position is vital to their wellbeing. CICRA's research over 45 years has helped provide a pool of knowledge, better treatments and better management but we need to do more.

Research is sometimes slow, and expensive but the £10million raised since CICRA's formation has:

Supported thousands of children through a sometimes traumatic childhood

Set up the first Paediatric Gastro Laboratory in the UK

Enabled earlier diagnosis through the funding of 3-year specialists training for 25 qualified doctors who now care for children with this complex condition

Developed a liquid diet as a first line treatment for children

Identified a factor causing gut damage, which led to new therapies, now used world-wide in treating children and adults with severe IBD

Funded 24 young scientists to research IBD through a PhD studentship scheme

Provided a wealth of knowledge on the management of this condition in children through the funding of 62 research projects

Funded the setting up of the Paediatric IBD BioResource leading to researching key genetic traits associated with paediatric IBD

.