Breakthrough On Causes Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The second, bigger challenge is to work out a treatment that can restore the balance of these cells and also to find out why this imbalance is happening in the first place. Dr Eastaff-Leung, who has qualifications in both Pathology and Chinese medicine, says there is evidence to show that diet and lifestyle play a significant role in the development of gastrointestinal disease. Inflammatory bowel diseases and a lot of other autoimmune diseases are common in Western cultures but are rarely found in the developing or Third World countries. We need to look at our diet and also the obsession in Western countries with cleanliness and antibacterial disinfectants, which has gone overboard. Children need to be exposed to bacteria as they are developing in order to build their immune system naturally, Dr Eastaff-Leung says. PhD supervisors Associate Professor Simon Barry, from the Discipline of Paediatrics at the University of Adelaide, and Dr Adrian Cummins from the Department of Gastroenterology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, believe the ongoing study of regulatory immune cells could help pinpoint the causes of a range of diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes and even asthma. In all autoimmune diseases, the immune system accidentally starts to attack tissues and organs that it should normally leave alone. The regulatory cells are obviously not doing their job and we need to understand why, Dr Barry says. Dr Eastaff-Leung will spend the next 12 months working with Assoc. Prof. Barry developing a novel biomarker for these regulatory immune cells in collaboration with Professor Heddy Zola from the Cooperative Research Centre for Biomarker Translation. We are going to see if we can add a new layer of sophistication to this research, Assoc. Prof. Barry says. If the new biomarker is a protein that plays an important functional role we can work on that to restore the balance in the immune system. More than 700,000 individuals are living with inflammatory bowel disease in the US, UK and Australia. Dr Eastaff-Leungs research was funded by The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Research Foundation and the Australian Crohns and Colitis Association. explanation http://www.newswise.com/articles/breakthrough-on-causes-of-inflammatory-bowel-disease





Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Overview





Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to a group of conditions characterised by recurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal organs . The two main types of IBD are: Ulcerative colitis: Characterised by inflammationconfined to the mucous membranes of the colon (bowel) and rectum; Crohn's disease: Characterised by inflammation of any of the gastrointestinal organs. For more information on ulcerative colitis, see Ulcerative Colitis . For more information on Crohn's disease, see Crohn's Disease . These conditions occur because the immune system does not function properly. They are typically incurable and require lifelong treatment. Other conditions that fall under the banner of IBD but which do not involve immune system dysfunction include: IBD -type unclassified:This diagnosis isgiven to approximately 5% of individuals with IBD because their disease shows features of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease on investigation; Indeterminate colitis: A diagnosis given when the doctor has diagnosed colitis, but the type (ulcerative or infective) cannot be determined; Infectious IBD: Inflammation of the colon caused by infection ; Ischaemic IBD: Inflammation of the colon caused by lack of blood flow (ischaemia); Radiation-induced IBD; Medication-induced IBD. Statistics on Inflammatory Bowel Disease : Overview IBD is a prevalent condition in Australia, affecting an estimated 61,000 individuals at any given time. IBD is more prevalent in Australia than epilepsy or road traffic accidents, and has a similar prevalence to type 1 diabetes and schizophrenia . In 2005, more than 1,600 new cases of IBD were diagnosed. Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease : Overview Quality of life (QoL) IBD is a severely debilitating condition that has a significant impact on an individual's daily wellbeing and functioning. Those with active disease (disease that causes symptoms ) experience greater quality-of-life (QoL) impairment compared to those in remission (with asymptomatic disease), and QoL is further impaired by worsening symptoms. The disability and lost quality of life caused by IBD are comparable to the effects of a broken rib or sternum, mild arthritis , asthma or the amputation of an arm. IBD is associated with a greater burden of disability than type 1 diabetes and epilepsy. Its debilitating and life-shortening effects are also greater than those associated with chronic back pain , rheumatic heart disease and mental retardation. In one European study, three quarters of respondents reported they were unable to engage in normal leisure activities as a result of their IBD symptoms. home site http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/diseases/inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-overview/943