treatment hope for crohn's disease

researchers have made progress toward a potential new treatment that may help relieve symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (ibd) — a condition that often causes painful and debilitating abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.

a university of alabama research study has shown that colitis flareups in mouse models of crohn’s can be relieved by adjusting the response of different immune cells. in some people with crohn’s, the immune system — particularly t effector cells — launch an abnormal response to gut microbes,  triggering a widespread attack that harms human cells too, which can lead to bowel inflammation, pain and other uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms. but according to the study, scientists were able to block the protein that produces the troublesome t effector cells to help stop the response that normally would trigger signs of ibd. similar results were found in tests conducted on the human cells of those of people living with crohn’s.

canada has one of the highest rates of ibd in the world, according to a study in the journal of the canadian association of gastroenterology, but it doesn’t affect canadians equally, ontario and quebec having the highest prevalence, followed by british columbia and alberta, reports crohn’s and colitis canada.

according to the national charity, 270,000 canadians live with inflammatory bowel disease, a number that is expected to rise to 400,000 in the next decade. while the cause of ibd is not clear,  genetic and environmental factors including smoking, diet, and antibiotics.

people over the age of 65 are the fastest growing demographic in canada with ibd — a group that may face more complications because of age-related conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. children can also be affected by crohn’s, according to crohn’s and colitis canada, with the number affected rising more than 50 per cent in the last decade.

while there is currently no cure for crohn’s, medications and treatments like antibiotics, immunosuppressants, steroids, biologics and biosimilars can be used. surgery is also sometimes an option.