The Western industrialized nations have not brought nothing but good of mankind. This truism is confirmed, for example, when looking at the so-called diseases of civilization. They cause not only the personal suffering billions amounts of costs. These diseases include chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with the two most important representatives of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Unfortunately, the CED is still much in the dark, speak a clear language, however the statistics. The number of people affected by chronic inflammatory bowel disease increased after the 2nd Weltrkrieg strong. With approximately 150,000 patients in Germany, the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, it is clear the same number of Crohn’s disease come to that. This corresponds to about 4 cases per 1,000 inhabitants.
Men and women are equally affected, the peak in incidence is between 20 and 30 Year of life. The real figure is estimated to be significant, since many patients – for example, because of complaints outside of the intestine – a long time to remain undetected or misdiagnosed.
Causes an enigma
Despite massive efforts – which are chronic inflammatory bowel disease a major field of research for the pharmaceutical industry – there is still no reliable knowledge about the causes of IBD. This argues for a multifactorial etiology. Unwanted immune reactions in question come within the intestinal mucosa, a genetic predisposition, environmental factors or chronic disorder of the permeability of the mucosa due to inflammation caused by bacteria.
However, the hypothesis of an infection is not enough, even a psychosomatic reaction is now believed less strongly. The lack of so-called defensins – antimicrobial peptides that are local – could also play a role, bacteria must overcome a barrier. A familial predisposition seems certain genetic factors are certainly causes for the mix.
The breakthrough has not existed, however, it continues to exist only tesserae to a statement.
Tags: Inflammatory Bowel, Ulcerative Colitis