Posted 9/29/2016 4:30 PM (GMT -5)
I have Crohn's disease and have had it since childhood. My son just sent this article to me and I thought I'd share it with you. I copied it instead of putting in the link since the link didn't want to open for me at first.
" There’s new hope for sufferers of Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that afflicts hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S.
Researchers believe they’ve pinpointed key factors that cause the debilitating disease whose symptoms include chronic diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and severe weight loss. To now, doctors couldn't say why some patients developed Crohn's and others did not - the disease is classified as incurable.
Case Western Reserve University's med school led an international team that identified a common fungus as a key factor in the development of the disease, according to Science Daily.
Doctors have long known that bacteria contribute to the condition, said Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, PhD., a Case Western professor and leader of the study.
Previous research focused on bacteria, but nobody connected the role of the fungus to the disease.
The new study identified two bacteria strains and a single species of fungus that work together to produce a thin, slimy layer of micro-organisms that attaches to the intestines causing inflammation that creates the symptoms. Hundreds of kinds of fungi and bacteria appear in the human intestine, so identifying these three is a big step forward, the study concluded.
Ghannoum said further research is needed to more specifically identify the causes of Crohn’s, but the new findings are cause for optimism.
It can lead to a new generation of treatments that have the potential to make a great difference in the quality of life of those suffering from Crohn’s, he said.
Diet and genetics also contribute to the disease, Ghannoum added."
Sherrine