In 1978, there were no specialists for diseases of childhood digestion and bowel.
Crohn’s disease had been seen for many years in adults but at that time it was very rare for it to affect a child. There were a small number of children being treated at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, and their parents got together and set about making a difference. Soon, the charity they founded also supported children with ulcerative colitis and all forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
the impact of our research for children and young adults with IBD
- soon after the charity was founded, our research drove the development of paediatric gastroenterology as a specialist medical area
- our supporters funded the first laboratory for paediatric gastroenterology in the UK
- many of today’s leading doctors treating children and young people for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) did their specialist training on our research scheme
- the first generation of CICRA-trained doctors are now training the next, which means more children can see an IBD specialist
- studies we funded led to enteral nutrition often being the first line of treatment for children
- new treatments being taken forward for clinical trials build on work by scientists we funded
- research we funded in Scotland and Southampton identified an increase in the number of children and babies being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease
- our bursary scheme for scientists to attend major conferences and present their research ensures that childhood IBD expertise is spread nationally and globally
- our scheme encourages young talented scientists to follow a career path of researching IBD, keeping the momentum for better treatments and an eventual cure
- over 60 CICRA funded projects have created a wealth of knowledge about Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including current studies on genetics, bacteria, diet and psychological stress
if you want a world where children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can lead fulfilling lives, help keep our groundbreaking research going
CICRA is the only national charity in the UK dedicated entirely to helping children and young people with Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, IBDU and VEOIBD collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). CICRA was formed in 1978 by parents of children affected by IBD with the aims of:
- finding a cure for IBD by funding good quality, peer reviewed, research and funding the training of doctors wishing to specialise in paediatric IBD
- helping to improve the quality of life for children and young people with these conditions
- helping to raise a wider awareness and understanding of this very complex, disabling condition
For 45 years, we have been getting closer to our goal through our ground-breaking research programme: