Tuesday 19 May marks World IBD Day, an important opportunity to raise awareness of this chronic condition.

Currently, 1 in 120 people in the UK live with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). They are lifelong conditions causing unpleasant symptoms such as abdominal pain that won’t go away, diarrhoea that can’t wait, and blood in your poo.

Delays in diagnosis are common, often because people feel embarrassed or worried about seeking help. Around one quarter of patients experience debilitating symptoms for more than a year before diagnosis.

This is where the RAPID-IBD study comes in…

Backed by the ‘Know Your Sh*t’ campaign, the RAPID-IBD study is inviting people with unexplained gut symptoms to take part. It is open to anyone aged 16–49 living in the EX postcode area.

The study explores whether directly providing people with a simple test can help them take greater control of their health. Reducing the time to diagnosis and earlier treatment could reduce emergency hospital admissions, limit the need for surgery, and improve quality of life.

The team recently reached an exciting milestone of 3000 participants enrolled in the study. For many participants, taking part in the study has been life‑changing.

Signing up is quick and easy. To take part, all you need to do is fill in our online study survey and request your free test kit.

The RAPID-IBD is led by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the national patient charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK. The ‘Know Your SH*T campaign has been reviewed and approved by key stakeholders, including the University of Exeter, the NIHR, and ethics committees.