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Posts Tagged ‘Genetic Component’
Crohns Disease Cause
Researchers have not yet identified the cause of Crohns disease, so it is described as an “idiopathic” disease. It is known that inflammation is part of the body’s immune response, and an immune response is usually triggered by something. But to date no specific “trigger” has been found to cause the inflammatory response seen in Crohns disease.
There is some evidence that Crohns disease has a genetic component. While there is no simple correlation from parent(s) to offspring, the disease tends to “run” in families. As many as 20 to 25 percent of patients with Crohns disease have a relative with CD or ulcerative colitis.
There is also a higher incidence among certain ethnic groups.In addition, some possible environmental factors have been linked to initial episodes or relapses. Crohns disease appears to be a disease that primarily affects those living in Western, industrialized societies. Whether this is due to some condition of the environment in which people live or their diet has not been determined.
The Role Of Heredity
Physicians classify Crohns disease as one of the “familial” or “complex” genetic diseases, as opposed to a “simple” genetic disease. In simple genetic diseases, such as sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis, a person who inherits a copy of the defective gene from each parent is certain to get the disease. In Crohns disease, this is not the case. In fact, 75 to 80 percent of people with Crohns disease have no relative with either Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis.
But because there are fewer than 500,000 Americans with Crohns disease, the level of multiple incidence in families (20 to 25 percent of Crohn’s patients) means that the risk of being diagnosed with the disease is statistically somewhat higher in individuals who have a family member with either Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis.
Other evidence that suggests a genetic basis for Crohns disease is the fact that populations who have intermarried closely within their communities for many generations, such as Eastern European Jews, have a higher incidence of inflammatory bowel disease than do other groups.
Weakened Immune Response
In the healthy intestine, certain types of bacteria (enteric microflora) are present and necessary. In fact, between one billion and one trillion normal intestinal bacteria exist in every gram of intestinal content. These “normal” bacteria contribute to the process of digestion and keep abnormal bacteria, which can enter the GI tract in food, water, etc., from surviving and causing illness. If abnormal bacteria do survive and multiply, the body recognizes them as invading organisms, or “antigens.”
To a certain extent, these antigens are ignored in the GI tract – the immune system has a certain level of tolerance for them. But immunologic evidence shows that in the intestines of those with inflammatory bowel disease, some of this tolerance for bacteria is lost.
The TH1 cells, which are responsible for activating the immune response against invading organisms, do their job. But the TH2 cells, which are responsible for deactivating the immunologic response after invading organisms are destroyed, fail to perform theirs. The result is an inflammatory overreaction, resulting in pain, fever, and, sometimes, tissue damage.Some evidence also suggests that flare-ups of Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis are a heightened response to seasonal allergies, upper-respiratory infections, or other transient illnesses.
Colitis Ulcerosa
Ulcerative colitis (Colitis ulcerosa, UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or colon, that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores, in the colon.
The main symptom of active disease is usually diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset. Ulcerative colitis is, however, a systemic disease that affects many parts of the body outside the intestine. Because of the name, IBD is often confused with irritable bowel syndrome (“IBS”), a troublesome, but much less serious condition. Ulcerative colitis has similarities to Crohns disease, another form of IBD.
Ulcerative colitis is an intermittent disease, with periods of exacerbated symptoms, and periods that are relatively symptom-free. Although the symptoms of ulcerative colitis can sometimes diminish on their own, the disease usually requires treatment to go into remission.Ulcerative colitis is a rare disease, with an incidence of about one person per 10,000 in North America.
The disease tends to be more common in northern areas. Although ulcerative colitis has no known cause, there is a presumed genetic component to susceptibility. The disease may be triggered in a susceptible person by environmental factors. Although dietary modification may reduce the discomfort of a person with the disease, ulcerative colitis is not thought to be caused by dietary factors. Although ulcerative colitis is treated as though it were an autoimmune disease, there is no consensus that it is such.
Treatment is with anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppression (suppressing the immune system), and biological therapy targeting specific components of the immune response. Colectomy (partial or total removal of the large bowel through surgery) is occasionally necessary, and is considered to be a cure for the disease. Ulcerative colitis is a relatively uncommon, chronic, recurrent inflammatory disease of the colon or rectal mucosa. Often a lifelong illness, the condition has profound emotional and social impact on the affected individual. Ulcerative colitis is defined as continuous idiopathic inflammation of the colonic or rectal mucosa.
The rectum is involved in more than 95% of cases. Some authorities believe that the rectum is always involved in an untreated patient. Partial healing may occur in a patient treated with topical therapy, creating diagnostic confusion. Ulcerative colitis occurs more frequently in white people. The incidence of ulcerative colitis is reported to be 2-4 times higher in Jewish people. However, recent population studies in North America do not completely support this assertion. Ulcerative colitis seems to have a female preponderance. Ulcerative colitis affects 30% more females than males. The incidence of ulcerative colitis peaks in people aged 15-25 years and in people aged 55-65 years, although it can occur in people of any age.
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