A marked increase in the number of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnoses has been observed worldwide within the last 50 years, and all age branches are involved. The changing epidemiology of IBD suggests that environmental factors are involved in modifying disease expression. Assessing the incidence of IBD is complicated, especially in the developmental age.

Keeping up-to-date with the multicentre national registers and international networking is a key feature to develop information on IBD epidemiology and to provide an examination of possible etiological hypotheses on a large scale of patients. IBD management is particularly demanding in the developmental age. The rising trend in IBD incidence in developing nations suggests that epidemiological evolution is related to westernization of lifestyle and industrialization. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Epidemiology of IBD worldwide
• Epidemiology of IBD in the paediatric population
• Natural history of IBD
• Etiopathogenesis of IBD: Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors
• Nutritional and social issues in children with IBD
• IBD: Burden of disease in general and paediatric populations

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