Who Gets IBD?
IBD tends to run in families, so we know that genes definitely play a role in the IBD picture. Studies have shown that about 20 to 25 percent of patients may have a close relative with either Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. If a person has a relative with the disease, his or her risk is about 10 times greater than that of the general population. If that relative happens to be a brother or sister, the risk is 30 times greater.Researchers have been working actively for some time to find a link to specific genes that control the transmission of this illness. Recently, an important breakthrough was achieved when the first gene for Crohn’s disease was identified by a team of IBD investigators. The researchers were able to pick out an abnormal mutation or alteration in a gene known as NOD2/CARD 15.. This mutation, which limits the ability to recognize bacteria as harmful, occurs twice as frequently in Crohn’s patients as in the general population. There is no way to predict which, if any, fam
