Pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease are chronic idiopathic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Although genetic factors may determine the susceptibility of an individual, the extrinsic or environmental agents seem to contribute equally, if not more, to the pathogenesis of the disease. A simple cause and effect relationship for the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease has yet to emerge, but new research and improved diagnostics have greatly facilitated the understanding of the natural progression of the disease as well as the immunopathologic manifestations that characterize and distinguish ulcerative colitis from Crohn disease. These advances are providing the rationale for the development of novel and more efficacious therapeutic options that are directed at treating the underlying immune defect instead of the secondary inflammatory response.