Journal
JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY
Volume 42, Issue 1, Pages 16-25Publisher
SPRINGER JAPAN KK
DOI: 10.1007/s00535-006-1995-7
Keywords
Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; inflammatory bowel diseases; medical therapy; pathogenesis
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), are largely diseases of the twentieth century, and are associated with the rise of modern, Westernized industrial society. Although the causes of these diseases remain incompletely understood, the prevailing model is that the intestinal flora drives an unmitigated intestinal immune response and inflammation in the genetically susceptible host. A review of the past and present of these diseases shows that detailed description preceded more fundamental elucidation of the disease processes. Working out the details of disease pathogenesis, in turn, has yielded dividends in more focused and effective therapy for IBD. This article highlights the key descriptions of the past, and the pivotal findings of current studies in disease pathogenesis and its connection to medical therapy. Future directions in the IBD will likely explicate the inhomogeneous causes of these diseases, with implications for individualized therapy.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available