Crohns Disease

The study examined changes in DNA associated with the two most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): (CD), which is most frequently marked by inflammation of the final section of the small bowel (ileum) and parts of the colon, and ulcerative colitis (UC), an inflammation of the internal lining of the rectum and colon.

Results of the study, published in this month's edition of Genes and Immunity, included information gleaned from 993 families with IBD, 244 of whom were Ashkenazi Jews. Up to 30 percent of people with IBD in the United States are estimated to have a family history of the condition, and about 25 percent of these families have both CD and UC in the family. People of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at least twice as likely to develop a form of IBD and are more likely to have familial disease.

"This increased risk for some Jewish people makes our study and results especially significant since this is the first sample size of Jewish families, 244, that was large enough to identify novel gene regions for familial predisposition in this ethnic group," says Johns Hopkins gastroenterologist and genetic investigator Steven R. Brant, M.D., senior author of the study.

By analyzing common DNA variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, the team found evidence for genes causing familial in the study population specific to Ashkenazi Jewish families with CD on previously identified areas of chromosomes 1 and 3. They also identified a never-before-identified region of chromosome 13 that was shared by both Jewish and non-Jewish families with CD. Evidence for chromosomal regions that may be linked to UC on chromosome 2 and 19 for Jewish and non-Jewish families was also noted, according to Brant.

"What makes these results especially significant is not only the large sample size but also the method we used for screening, namely the use of a high-density, single-nucleotide polymorphism genome-wide linkage process, says Brant." The new process is 10 times faster than older methods at searching the number of variations across the genome, he added.

Up to now, Brant says, no gene regions implicated in IBD were specific to Ashkenazi families, and genetic evidence pointing to why Ashkenazi Jews are twice as likely to get

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the disorder was lacking. The two genetic regions identified on chromosomes 1 and 3 were specific to Ashkenazi CD and unrelated to known IBD genes.

 

 

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (2008, March 27). New Genetic Markers For Discovered, Study Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/03/080326124806.htm

 

This report is of interest to me because it shows just how much interest into Crohn’s Disease our scientific community truly has. Crohn’s Disease is a serious condition that plagues many people these days. I would like to show you another resource that I have come across lately that has assisted my family in the fight with Crohn’s Disease. 

 

IBS, Irritable Bowel Digestive Relief. 

Now even though Crohn’s Disease is considered IBS by the medical proffesion, it is a much more serious afflicition then that. Current legislation is underway to change the classification of Crohn’s Disease and this article with the recent release shows that Crohn’s Disease is not a IBS issue but rather a genetic disorder of a much more elegant design. What we have found though is that this program called Irritable Bowl Digestive Relief gives great advice on dealing with multiple issues that Crohn’s Disease represents. You really need to review this site if you have Crohn's Disease