Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada

About the Foundation

• The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) is a voluntary, not-for-profit, medical research foundation dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, commonly referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• To achieve its mission, the Foundation is committed to raising funds for medical research.
• Education is also a part of its mandate. The Foundation provides information on IBD to patients, their families, health professionals and the general public through education brochures, its national member publication The Journal, local education events and the CCFC web site at www.ccfc.ca.
• The CCFC was started in 1974 by a group of concerned parents who saw the need to raise funds for research into IBD and to educate patients and their families about these diseases.
• The CCFC has more than 65,000 supporters and includes members in approximately 80 local volunteer groups across Canada, supported by a small, full-time staff.
• The key to the CCFC’s success is the interest and work of thousands of volunteers across the country. This network of highly organized volunteers participate in numerous fundraising initiatives throughout the year including national programs such as M&M Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day and the Heel ‘n’ Wheel-a-Thon.

About Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, describes two similar yet distinct conditions called Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• There is no known cause or cure for IBD.
• Nearly 200,000 Canadian men, women and children suffer from IBD.
• People are most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 15-25, or 45-55.
• These diseases affect the digestive system and cause the intestinal tissue to become inflamed, form sores and bleed easily. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue and diarrhea.
• Crohn’s Disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Patches of inflammation occur, with healthy tissue between the diseased areas. The inflammation can extend through every layer of affected bowel tissue. Crohn’s disease cannot be cured by drugs or surgery, although either or both can help relieve symptoms.
• Ulcerative colitisaffects only the inner layer of the colon, or large bowel. It always starts in the rectum and may extend as a continuous inflammation from there into the rest of the colon.  The disease can be completely eliminated by surgically removing the colon, but afterwards, waste material may have to be stored and expelled through an external appliance.
• IBD is unpredictable. Most people experience periods of remission and flare-ups of the disease, often requiring long-term medication, hospitalization or surgery.
• Although IBD is found throughout the world, it seems to be more common in North America and northern Europe. Canada has among the highest incidence rates of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the world.

About CCFC Research Programs

• Medical research is simply the best hope for finding a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• To date, the CCFC has invested nearly $50 million in major medical research projects and is one of the world’s leading sources of non-governmental, per capita funding of IBD research.
• In 2006-2007, CCFC invested its largest sum ever, $6.6 million, for new and ongoing research.
• CCFC’s long history of funding Canada’s most talented IBD researchers via the establishment of research chairs and intestinal research units has helped junior scientists attract follow-on funding from other sources; attracted foreign scientists to work with Canadian teams and helped senior research leaders attract talented researchers to join their teams.
• In 2007, the CCFC embarked on fundraising a landmark, cross-national project looking at the Genetic, Environmental and Microbial Factors contributing to the onset of Crohn’s disease.
• In 2003, the CCFC created the CCFC IBD Research Institute – a major expansion in its research that will allow studies from all angles of the disease.
• CCFC funded Canada’s first nationwide epidemiological study to estimate the incidence and prevalence of IBD within the country and outlined the real “burden” of this disease on patients, their families and Canadian health care.
• Thanks to the significant research investment made by the CCFC, much more is now known about the fundamental biology of the intestine and about the mechanisms underlying IBD, The picture is more complex than anticipated and more work is needed to develop a complete picture.

For more information on the CCFC, visit www.ccfc.ca.

For more information, please contact Lynn Kobayashi at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada.  Tel: 416-920-5035 ext. 226; Fax: (416) 920-2067;  Email: lkobayashi@ccfc.ca