Transition of patients with paediatric IBD to adult services.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing-remitting disease which presents in childhood or adolescence in a significant proportion of cases.1 Even those patients who remain in remission with an uncomplicated course in paediatric services need to progress to adult services in anticipation of the natural disease course and for surveillance of associated complications. Evidence from other chronic diseases tells us that morbidity and mortality often increase in young people in the early years following transfer to adult services.2 Many patients with paediatric IBD (PIBD) have spent a significant amount of time in paediatric services and had prolonged contact with a particular multidisciplinary team, such that the prospect of moving on from familiar surroundings and care providers, with the additional challenge of taking on more responsibility for their own disease management, can be daunting for both patients and their families. It can also be difficult for the …