World IBD Day 2025: Breaking Taboos, Talking About It

More than 10 million people around the world live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease. In Europe alone, that is 3 million people — the same as the population of Berlin, Germany. For those affected, something as ordinary as going to the bathroom can become a daily struggle. Urgency. Cramping. Pain. Fear of not making it in time.

It is not just physically draining - it is socially isolating. Many people feel ashamed to talk about bowel symptoms, even with a doctor. This silence fuels stigma, delays diagnosis and can lead to serious health problems.

This year’s World IBD Day theme launched by our partners the International Federation of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Associations (IFCCA) — “IBD Has No Borders: Breaking Taboos, Talking About It” — powerfully aligns with the mission of the INTERCEPT project: to change how we speak about, diagnose and ultimately prevent Crohn’s disease.

INTERCEPT is working to detect Crohn’s disease earlier than ever before in the pre-clinical phase — even before symptoms appear. By studying tiny biological signals in the blood, known as biomarkers, researchers are developing a blood-based risk score to identify people who may be more likely to develop the disease. The goal is to open a window for early action and, one day, even prevention.

A key focus of INTERCEPT is first-degree relatives of people living with Crohn’s disease. Because close family members have a higher risk, they are taking part in a first-of-its-kind Europe-wide clinical study, PREDICT-CD, to better understand how Crohn’s develops and how to stop it in its tracks.

Talking about bowel health openly — not just on World IBD Day, but every day — is the first step to changing lives. Together, through science, awareness and action we can rewrite the future of IBD and Crohn’s disease.