Inflammatory bowel diseases affect 200,000 people in France.
Despite this high incidence, these conditions still suffer from
a low level of public awareness and are sometimes even a taboo
subject. Worldwide, 2.5 million people suffer from IBD. In
France, 120,000 people are affected by Crohn's disease and
80,000 have haemorrhagic rectocolitis; each year, 5,000 to 6,000
new cases are detected, respectively. The first signs of the
disease generally occur between the ages of 20 and 40. These two
pathologies are characterized by damage to the digestive tract.
Although haemorrhagic rectocolitis only features damage to the
large intestine, the whole digestive tract (from the mouth to
the anus) may be affected in Crohn's disease. These two diseases
can also have manifestations outside the digestive system: joint
pain, ulcers, skin damage, eye disorders, etc. In view of these
symptoms, IBDs are poorly accepted and inadequately understood
by patients and their family & friends. Inflammatory bowel
diseases have a very r