Showcasing Excellence in Paediatric IBD Care at Children's Health Ireland

Ireland has among the highest rates of childhood inflammatory bowel disease in Europe, with a 4-fold increase in incidence here since 2001. This World IBD Day, Children's Health Ireland (CHI) is highlighting the impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the lives of its patients and families.

In Children’s Health Ireland, Professor Séamus Hussey leads the Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) service. Since 2012, he has also led the DOCHAS (Determinants and Outcomes in Children and Adolescents with IBD Study), a comprehensive prospective research initiative that has shaped CHI’s evidence-based approach to paediatric IBD care.

DOCHAS, the Irish word for hope, is a longitudinal clinical study that prospectively recruits all children and adolescents with newly diagnosed IBD in CHI at Crumlin and follows the progression of their disease and treatment outcomes through to adulthood.

Under Professor Hussey’s guidance, CHI has built an internationally recognised multidisciplinary IBD service, supporting children and families through diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management. With a focus on early diagnosis, personalised therapies, holistic care and minimising the burden of disease on young lives, CHI’s paediatric IBD programme has grown into a beacon of clinical innovation and compassionate care.

Hazel Dineen, a patient of CHI at Crumlin, has been attending the service since July 2020 when she was diagnosed with IBD. It was a scary and uncertain time for Hazel and her family as she spent two difficult spells in hospital. However once Hazel met Prof. Burke, Brid, Maria, and the incredible IBD and GI teams everything changed. With their compassion, expertise and comfort, hospital didn’t seem so frightening to Hazel anymore.

Professor Hussey’s research has been widely published in leading journals, including in Gastroenterology, Nature Communications, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Journal and Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. The key findings from this CHI-based research has helped to advance our understanding of disease progression, disease triggers, and optimal therapeutic strategies in young people. The DOCHAS study continues to inform care pathways in Ireland and abroad, supporting improved outcomes and quality of life.

Looking ahead, the CHI research team, in collaboration with national and international partners, is continuing its work to improve precision diagnostics and outcome prediction through biomarker profiling. Such advancements hold promise for earlier, more accurate detection and the development of therapies tailored to the genetic, immunological and environmental profile of patients.

Professor Hussey is driven by a deep commitment to improving health outcomes for children living with chronic illness. His interest in paediatric IBD stems from witnessing its life-altering impact on children and their families. It is often a silent disease – patients may be slow to discuss and disclose disease symptoms and suffer in silence. Young people are reluctant to disclose their diagnosis and its impact on them to friends and teachers.

There is poor awareness of IBD in the general public, and it is easily confused with other conditions with similar-sounding names. Prof Hussey’s passion fuels a relentless focus on research that delivers real-world benefits—less invasive testing, more effective treatments, and care that takes the whole child into account.

Chronic diseases which commence in childhood last a lifetime. At Children's Health Ireland, we are committed to leading change in how childhood IBD is understood and treated. Through the DOCHAS study and a strong foundation of clinical and academic collaboration, we are proud to support families every step of the way. On World IBD Day 2025, we celebrate the children we serve, the multidisciplinary care team, the progress we have made together, and the breakthroughs yet to come.