The SIBDCS was launched in November 2006 with the aim of enrolling and following patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) throughout Switzerland. Our original sample included incident or prevalent cases, regularly treated in Switzerland, aged 2 and over. Patients were included through their treating gastroenterologist. Data from medical charts and patient self-reported questionnaires were collected annually. Blood samples and biopsies (in case of colonoscopy), collected at baseline and during follow-up, were stored in a biobank. The baseline data collected for the 754 patients recruited in the first 20 months were presented in a previous cohort profile manuscript.
The objectives of the cohort study have been expanded to follow the intense international research activity on IBD. Given the morbidity, unsatisfactory treatments available and their impact on quality of life and costs, much remains to be done to gain more knowledge about IBD pathogenesis and the factors associated with flares or worsening disease. Genetic risk factors alone do not explain the recent increase in disease incidence and are only weakly associated with clinical phenotypes, disease course and severity