discomfort and anxiety to children and young people who suffer with the condition.
What is Crohn's disease?
Crohn's disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that occurs when the walls and lining of the digestive tract become inflamed, swollen and ulcerated. It can occur anywhere between the mouth and the anus, but most commonly affects the small intestine (small bowel) or colon. It is a life-long illness that may have periods of remission when there are few symptoms, but also periods of relapse when the disease is active and the symptoms much harder to cope with. There is no cure at present.
Last month, figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed that the number of 16- to 29-year-olds admitted to hospital in England with Crohn's disease has quadrupled over the past decade - from 4,937 in 2003/04 to 19,405 in 2013.
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