Why show bellies in photos? Quite simply because the belly is the place of expression of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Also, to draw the attention of the general public to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (in other words IBD) and to raise awareness of these diseases which affect nearly 200,000 people in France, the François Aupetit association (which brings together people with IBD in France) and the Abbott laboratory have decided to go on a campaign on the web.
Let’s show our bellies: instructions for use
Take a photo of your stomach using a camera, webcam, or even your smartphone, then go to the site www.montronsnosventres.fr and upload your photo to the specially dedicated section. Of course, your anonymity will be respected and only you will know that the flat (or plump) stomach that appears in the photo in the mosaic, is yours! But by posting this photo on the web, you will show your solidarity with patients suffering from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and you will help the recognition of these diseases that cannot be cured.
What is IBD?
These inflammatory diseases (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) are characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestine which causes various symptoms: repeated diarrhea, fatigue, cramps, abdominal pain … They are too often complicated by intestinal obstruction. , fistulas and malnutrition, leading to a significant deterioration in the quality of life of patients.
The causes of these diseases are still unknown, although it has been possible to determine the involvement of a number of factors: genetic, environmental (notably tobacco) and immunological. They can be diagnosed at any age in life (15% of IBD affect children) but appear on average between 20 and 30 years old. These diseases can be treated but cannot be cured: they evolve in flare-ups and the person who is affected alternates between periods of disease activity and periods of remission.
