Crohn's disease

What is Crohn's Disease?

Crohn's disease is a form disease, which involves ongoing (chronic) inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

The disease is named after Dr. Burrill B. Crohn, who published a landmark paper with colleagues Oppenheimer and Ginsburg in 1932, describing the features of what is known today as Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s and a related disease, ulcerative colitis, are the two main disease categories that belong to a larger group of illnesses called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Actually, Crohn's Disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus; as a result, the symptoms of Crohn's disease can vary between affected individuals.

Types of Crohn's Disease and associated symptoms

The symptoms and potential complications of Crohn's disease differ, depending on what part of the GI tract is inflamed. That's why it is important for you to know which part of your intestine is affected by Crohn’s disease. Your doctor also may refer to your illness by various names based on the main area involved. The following are several types of Crohn's disease:

News about Crohn's Disease

• CIMZIA(R) (Certolizumab Pegol) Provides Long-Term Benefit Without Dose Escalation In Crohn's Disease Patients

Data from two studies presented this week by UCB at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Meeting demonstrate that CIMZIA(R) (certolizumab pegol) - the only PEGylated anti-TNF alpha (Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha) - provides sustained improvement in symptoms with stable dosing for adult patients suffering from moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD).
• Mayo Clinic Collaborates To Advance Crohn's Treatment

A study led by Mayo Clinic has found that infliximab (Remicade®) administered alone (monotherapy) or in combination with azathioprine is a more effective treatment for patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease than azathioprine alone. These findings were presented at the 2008 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Meeting. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States.
• CIMZIA(R) (certolizumab Pegol) Reduces Intestinal Lesions And Induces Endoscopic Improvement In Crohn's Patients

UCB presented data from a large, prospective study investigating endoscopic improvement in Crohn's disease (CD) with a biologic compound.
• New Findings Show Efficacy Of REMICADE(R) Compared With Azathioprine In Treatment Of Crohn's Disease According To First-of-its Kind Study

Data presented for the first time from the Phase 3b Study of Patients with Crohn's Disease Naive to Immunomodulators and Biologic Therapy (SONIC) may provide new insights into the approach to care of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease.
• Form Of Crohn's Disease Traced To Disabled Gut Cells

Scientists report online in Nature that they have linked the health of specialized gut immune cells to a gene associated with Crohn's disease, an often debilitating and increasingly prevalent inflammatory bowel disorder. The link to immune cells intrigued researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis because they and others believe Crohn's disease is caused by misdirected immune responses in the intestine that damage gut tissue.
• Ore Pharmaceuticals Begins Clinical Trial Of GL1001 - Inflammatory Bowel Disease Drug Candidate's First Multiple Dose Trial

Ore Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ORXE) announced today that it has initiated dosing subjects with GL1001, the Company's lead drug candidate, in a multiple ascending dose clinical trial. GL1001, the first clinical-stage inhibitor of the ACE2 enzyme, is an orally administered small molecule that has decreased several disease activity measures in in vivo models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and gastritis.
• Philadelphia Inquirer Series Examines Difficulties Of Obtaining Affordable Coverage For People With Chronic Health Conditions

The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday -- in the second article of a series titled "Falling Through: Casualties of the Health Insurance Crisis" -- examined how people with chronic illnesses face challenges in obtaining affordable health coverage.
• In Crohn's Disease A Case Of False Positive Octreoscan

Neuroendocrine tumors, such as carcinoid tumors, overexpress somatostatin receptors in their membranes. Octreotide is an analogue whose molecule is a shortened version of somatostatin's with a high affinity for these receptors. The labelled form of octreotide is able to be imaged in scans (Octreoscan) and, therefore, pathological conditions overexpressing somatostatin receptors are easily recognized in this technique.
• Early Onset Gene For Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Identified

A study of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in children has identified a gene that influences whether children get these diseases early in life, and points to a potential new target for treatment. The findings of the international team that performed the study were published online this week by the journal Nature Genetics.
• Life Begins At 40 For NHS Occupational Therapist Who Suffered From Crohn's Disease

Cardiff has the highest incidence of Crohn's Disease in the UK. The University Hospital of Wales is conducting research into the condition with eminent gastroenterologist Dr Hawthorne of Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust who himself is part of a national study. Researchers are analysing data from the last 25 years in an attempt to explain what could cause the condition to be more prevalent in Cardiff isolating such factors as diet, bacterial infection and genetic impact.
• Pathogen That Causes Disease In Cattle Also Associated With Crohn's Disease - Research Urgently Needed To Evaluate Potential Risks To Humans

People with Crohn's disease (CD) are seven-fold more likely to have in their gut tissues the bacterium that causes a digestive-tract disease in cattle called Johne's disease. The role this bacterium may or may not play in causing CD is a top research priority, according to a new report released by the American Academy of Microbiology.
• Pill Cam SB Could Help Doctors Treat Children With Crohn's

According to a study released on July 9, 2008 in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, PillCam capsule endoscopy in the small intestines may improve Crohn's Disease treatment regimens in children by assisting in appropriate classification of inflammatory bowel diseases. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a set of chronic inflammatory diseases of the intestinal tract.
• Drug For Treatment Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease - New Formula Allows For Greater Absorption, Fewer Doses

Physician-scientists from NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, involved in clinical trials for a new drug for those who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), say it is the best option among available drugs. Gaizo is a reformulation of the active ingredient 5-ASA in currently available drugs. However, the researchers found that 99 percent of the active ingredient in the new pill is released in the colon compared to only 70 percent in other common IBD drugs. Dr.
• Stem Cells Heal Chronic Inflammation In The Gut - May Help Restore Immune System To Normal Function For Crohn's Disease

Stem cells are being studied at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell to heal the gut in subjects suffering from Crohn's disease. Physician-scientists believe that these cells might help to restore the ability of the immune system to control inflammation by secreting anti-inflammatory proteins into the digestive tract, allowing for regeneration of tissue and prevention of scar tissue.
• New Therapies And Medications For Crohn's Disease

A New Drug Class article released on July 4, 2008 in The Lancet seeks to highlight a new group of drugs intended to treat Crohn's disease. Most current drugs seek to control the autoimmune response via the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), but many new classes attempt to control other aspects of the immune response or even to reinforce the intestinal barrier itself.
• International Team Identifies 21 New Genetic Risk Factors For Crohn's Disease

An international consortium of Crohn's disease researchers has combined data from three independent studies to identify 21 new genetic variants associated with the inflammatory bowel disorder, bringing the total number of risk factors to 32. Several of these are involved with the immune system's inital response to pathogens, supporting earlier evidence that disruptions in a process called autophagy may lead to the disorder's characteristic immune system overactivity.
• Complexity Of Crohn's Disease Revealed As 'gene' Count Tops 30

New research has trebled the number of genetic regions known to be implicated in Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, to over thirty. The research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, has identified a number of potential new targets for drug development as well as providing surprising new links between the condition and other common diseases including asthma.
• Study Underway To Find An Alternative Cure For Crohn's Disease And Ulcerative Colitis

Two research studies evaluating dietary changes and complementary medicine for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have been launched at Rush University Medical Center. Funded by the National Institute of Health, one study will look at the impact of mind/body medicine on patients suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) and the other will assess how diet impacts patients with Crohn's Disease.
• Studies Seeking Subjects: Alternative Remedies For Ulcerative Colitis And Crohn's Disease

There are two new research studies commencing regarding inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) at Rush University Medical Center. These studies plan to investigate the impact of mind related medicine on patients suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) and the impact of diet on Crohn's Disease (CD.) Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a set of chronic inflammatory diseases of the intestinal tract.
• ChemoCentryx Completes Enrollment Of PROTECT-1, A Phase II/III Clinical Trial Of CCR9 Antagonist CCX282-B (Traficet-EN(TM)) In Crohn's Disease

ChemoCentryx, Inc., announced the completion of enrollment of 436 patients in the company's PROTECT-1 (the Prospective Randomized Oral Therapy Evaluation in Crohn's disease Trial), a Phase II/III clinical trial of Traficet-EN(TM) (CCX282-B) in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease.
• New Way To Fight Inflammation Discovered At Oxford

Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered a series of new peptide molecules that have potential as treatments of inflammatory disorders, including endotoxic shock, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, uveitis and atherosclerosis.
• FDA Investigating Arthritis Drugs And Cancer Risk In Children

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a possible link between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, a class of drugs for treating arthritis and other conditions, and cancer risk in children. In an early communication issued yesterday, 4th June, the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) said it was investigating the possible link between TNF blockers and the development of lymphoma and other cancers in children and young adults.
• Studying Bacterial Communities Inside Us To Better Understand Health And Disease

The number of bacteria living within the body of the average healthy adult human are estimated to outnumber human cells 10 to 1. Changes in these microbial communities may be responsible for digestive disorders, skin diseases, gum disease and even obesity.
• Discovery Of New Family Of Genetic Mutations Involved In Inflammatory Intestinal Disease

The discovery of new genetic mutations involved in inflammatory intestinal disorders could lead to a better understanding of these common conditions, two scientists told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics on 2 June. Dr.Alexandra Zhernakova, from the Utrecht University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands, and Dr.
• Pluristem Demonstrates The Potential Of Its PLX Cells To Treat Crohn's Disease And Ulcerative Colitis

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqCM:PSTI) (DAX:PJT), a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of non-personalized (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of degenerative, ischemic and autoimmune indications, announced that the Company's PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells have demonstrated in vivo efficacy in the treatment of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, collectively termed Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).