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Walking Toward a Cure for Pediatric IBD

Faster diagnosis. Improved treatments. Revolutionary research. These breakthroughs in care and knowledge about pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) are creating new hope for children who have this painful and often debilitating disease.

You can join the hundreds of families who participate in Walk for Hope to raise funds that support IBD patient care, treatment and research at CHOP. Every dollar donated benefits children in our community and around the world.

Inflammatory bowel disease — which refers to both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — is the fastest-growing autoimmune disorder in children younger than 5. Each year, the Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease at CHOP treats more than 1,400 young patients who suffer from abdominal pain, intestinal inflammation and other symptoms.

The past few years have produced an explosion of knowledge about the genetics of IBD and expanded treatment options. Today, expert gastroenterologists, geneticists, and researchers work together to evaluate each child’s DNA and microbiome with the goal of developing true personalized medicine.

But more work is needed. The IBD team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is working to standardize genetic and microbiome testing, partnering with others to develop new therapies for IBD, and determining how best to share the knowledge with the world.

Please join us in our journey toward a cure for IBD for all children.