Crohn's Disease

[Writer's Name]

[Name of the Institute]

Crohn's Disease

Introduction

Crohn's disease is a chronic disease of unknown origin that may have a component autoimmune in which the immune system attacks its own individual's intestine causing inflammation. Often the affected part is the ileum or final leg of the small intestine , although the disease can occur anywhere in the digestive tract.

The disease was first described by Giovanni Battista Morgagn. John Berg in 1898 and the Polish surgeon Antoni Lesniowski in 1903 described more cases of the disease. In 1932 the information was published again for Burrill Bernard Crohn and his colleagues Ginzburg and Oppenheimer, and the first surname comes from the biggest name of the disease. Sometimes it can be found under the name of regional enteritis or granulomatous colitis. The exact origin of the disease is unknown, but is known about genetic and factors that increase environmental risk. Several studies have linked the disease to genetic variants, including a gene on chromosome 16, but it is not strictly hereditary (Shanahan, 2001). This evil belongs to the group of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, IBD), which is also part of ulcerative colitis (Ferguson, 1994).

Discussion

To date, the exact cause of Crohn's disease remains unknown. Among the reasons are called hereditary or genetic, infectious, immunologic factors (Sands, 2000).

Genetic factors

Frequent detection of disease in monozygotic twins and siblings. Approximately 17% of the patients have blood relatives are also affected by the disease. The frequent combination of Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis (ankylosing spondylitis). However, a direct relationship with any HLA antigen (human leukocyte antigen) has not yet been found. Revealed an increased frequency of mutations in the gene CARD15 (gene NOD2). The gene CARD15 encodes a protein containing a caspase activation domain (caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 15). Many genetic variants of CARD15 affect the amino acid sequences in the leucine-rich repeats, or in the neighboring regions of the protein. CARD15 protein is due to the presence leucine-rich repeats activates nuclear transcription factor NF-kB. Leucine-rich repeats also act as intracellular receptors for components of pathogens. Usually there are four variants (Arg702Trp, Gly908Arg, ins3020C, IVS8 +158), associated with an increased risk of Crohn's disease. Judging from the samples bp European populations, each of these variants occur not more than 5% of the population. However, to date we know of at least 34 variants of the gene. At least 25 of these 34 variants associated with Crohn's disease (Sartor, 1997).

Infectious factors: their role is not completely confirmed, but the introduction of bowel washouts laboratory rats can sometimes cause illness in the past. It has been suggested for viral or bacterial nature (including the impact of bacterial pseudo tuberculosis), but they have not been confirmed (Shanahan, 2000).

Immunologic factors: system organ failure in Crohn's disease suggests an autoimmune disease. The patients show abnormally high numbers of T- lymphocytes, antibodies to E. coli, cow's milk protein, lip polysaccharide. From the blood of patients during periods of exacerbations identified immune complexes. There are disorders of cellular and humoral immunity, but rather they are secondary. A ...