Monday, February 25, 2013

Researchers Report - 200 Genes Have a Connection to Crohn's Disease

Wish there was more to be said about these 200 genes they found that point to Crohn's.  Nice to know.  

Crohn's Disease, from what I read on a regular basis, is one of the most complex diseases to understand.  Scientists seem to always discover a relationship with "A" ("A" could be any of the following, I'm only listing a few:  impaired  immune response, an increased level of a serine protease, an antigen/toxin, introduced into the body,  a pathogen {a bacteria(especially MAP), virus, fungus} are associated with Crohn's, genetic factors... 200 of them apparently, drugs ( Accutane is the one I hear about the most), environmental factors such as hormonal therapy, ex. birth control.  Not enough exposure to parasites, microorganisms and infectious agents in early childhood- See: Hygiene Hypothesis.     OK that's enough.    You get the point.  

Crohn's can be associated with so many factors, but the progression to determine more components about that factor "A", may lead to other discoveries that bring understanding about how "A" and "B", but not enough to progress with more research studies. 

Then ... That's it!  Scientists reach dead ends. It seems as if the findings discovered do not provide enough concrete information to bring more understanding about the disease which halts additional  research You never hear  much more about the relationship between A & B again. This happens so much with so many of the studies that seek to understand the disease and they all seem to reach a dead end at some point during the research.  There's  a few factors that have a pretty good progression that continue to lead to more connections; & its MAP.  It is the only information that I have read  and continue to read that discover  new findings and links to Crohn's.  Scientists are able to get somewhere with their findings that allow them to be able to do more studies and they gain more  understanding about the disease. 

The other factor that stands out is the Hygiene Hypothesis.  Read about it, it makes sense. 

Of all the conditions we would have to have is one as complicated as the Crohn.    I associate the Crohn's with a nightmare person that is sorta like a stalker/rude/unpredictable/enjoys messing up my day(s) and overstays their welcome ... but they were never welocome to begin with ... The nightmare just comes right in and makes itself at home.   

Anyway... enough of my babble.  Feel free to comment on your thoughts on what research seems to stand and  make progress toward an effective treatment and maybe even a cure.  I'd love to hear what you've found .




WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Using a new technique, researchers have pinpointed a large number of additional genes associated with Crohn's disease, bringing the total to 200.
The scientists at University College London, in England, created a new method to identify and map the locations of genes associated with complex inherited diseases such as Crohn's.
Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, affects about 100 to 150 people out of every 100,000. Understanding more about the genes associated with the disease may lead to improved treatments, the researchers said.
HealthDay news imageThe 200 genes so far linked to Crohn's are more than have been found for any other disease, according to the researchers. For example, just 66 gene regions are known for type 2 diabetes.
"The discovery of so many gene locations for Crohn's disease is an important step forward in understanding the disease, which has a very complicated genetic basis," study senior author Dr. Nikolas Maniatis said in a university news release. "We hope that the method we have used here can be used to identify the genes involved in other diseases which are similarly complex -- for example different cancers and diabetes."
The new research was published Dec. 13 in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
SOURCE: University College London, news release, Dec. 13, 2012
HealthDay

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