This year the central theme for World IBD Day is "IBD Has No Borders", emphasising the global nature of IBD and the need for collective action. EFCCA organised a Round Table discussion titled "Uniting for access to IBD care" on 17 May 2024 in Mexico City. 

IBD HAS NO AGE is an EFCCA campaign started in 2022 in order to raise awareness of how Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is impacting on the life of people aged 60 years and over. This year, for World IBD Day 2023 (19 May), we are launching a survey on people with IBD aged 60 years and over to investigate more on this topic with questions related to both quality of care and quality of life. 

Transitioning through paediatric and into adult care is a critical time for patients and, if not carried out effectively and appropriately, can impact on education, mental health and patient outcomes. It has become clear that this is a major issue for patients, their carers and clinicians and that the transition process within and across Europe urgently needs reform.

Fatigue is an important underecognized clinical problem in patients with IBD and one of the most frequently reported concerns of patients. It affects nearly 50 % of patients in clinical remission and 80% of those with active disease, resulting in a decrease in quality of life and impaired work productivity and functioning.

This year, for World IBD Day 2022, EFCCA would like to raise awareness about the impact IBD has on elderly people. Under the slogan IBD has no age we want to put the focus on elderly people (60 plus) and see how living with Crohn´s disease and Ulcerative Colitis (collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease) is impacting on their quality of life and care. 

This year, for World IBD Day, EFCCA would like to promote the discussion on IBD and wellbeing.

With our awareness raising campaign we want to start a dialogue and discussions on the psychological impact of the disease. Through a social media awareness raising campaign leading up to 19 May we want to show the hidden facts about what it is like to live with IBD. Under the hashtag #breakthesilence we want to show the world how a person with IBD really feels.

3.4 million people in Europe (10 million worldwide) live with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis (also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease - IBD). With IBD on the rise and mainly affecting young people of working age the European Federation of Crohn´s and Ulcerative Colitis Association (EFCCA) has decided to focus this year´s World IBD Day efforts on Work and IBD.  

EFCCA together with its 36 IBD patient associations, worldwide IBD sister organisations and supporters raised IBD awareness on 19 May by highlighting famous landmarks in the colour of purple alongside the organisation of local events. The theme for this year was  "Making the invisible visible" which is about showing different aspects about IBD that are not "visible" to the public.

World IBD Day takes place on 19 May each year and unites people in their fight against Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Over 120 landmarks worldwide joined our global World IBD Day on 19 May to raise awareness about Crohn´s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, collectively known as IBD.3

“Equal Rights for Citizens with IBD” was the main message emerging from the conference organized by EFCCA in cooperation with the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) and United European Gastroenterologists (UEG) which took place in the European Parliament on 17 October.