Who Gets Inflammatory Bowel Disease – IBD?
• We know that genes play a role in Inflammatory Bowel Disease as IBD tends to run in families. 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 is a brother or sister, the risk of having Inflammatory Bowel Disease is 30 times greater. Studies have shown that about 20 to 25 % of people have a close relative with either Crohns Disease or Ulcerative Colitis. • Researchers have been working actively to find a link to specific genes that control the transmission of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Recently, an important breakthrough was achieved when the first gene for Crohns Disease was identified by a team of IBD investigators. The researchers were able to pick out an abnormal mutation (alteration) in a gene called Nod2. This alteration limits the ability to fight bacteria. This mutation occurs twice as frequently in Crohns Disease sufferers compared to the general population. Unfortunately there is cu
