is anyone optimisitc there will be some type of "Cure" Or "vaccine" Because..

i think US patent application 2009/0092637 A1 (publication date April 9, 2009) is "on the correct autoantigen track".

If diet was really the cause, it'd also be the solution, as in coeliac disease.

Things just happen. Things go wrong. People develop genetic weaknesses. What explains motor neurone disease? Haemophilia? We know there is a genetic basis to Crohn's, and that genes affect the severity/behavour of the disease, but we don't know what triggers off the genes to do their annoying work. Me, I'd look to a genetic cure in the future. That, or stem cell therapy.

genes dont play an important role in this disease

If you want to debate the genes vs food on a small sample: I am a biologic only child, but I have an adopted sister. My mother had CD, my father has AS, both Auto Immune diseases. I have CD and have problems with my back and other joints (pre cursor to AS?). My sister has nothing. WE BOTH ate all the same foods growing up, grew up in the same environment, lived in the same house for our entire childhood, yet I showed signs of CD at 13. Sorry I don't believe that genes play NO part in this.
I am predisposed to Auto Immune diseases because of my parents history. Can food be a trigger, sure, cause, not in my opinion.

the big problem is that Crohn's disease is unlikely a single disease entity and that, in all probability, Crohn's disease represents a syndrome with multiple etiologies. By definition, Crohn's disease is an etiopathic disease, i.e., it has no known etiology. Cases of idiopathic bowel disease (including Crohn's Disease) are diagnosed subjectively by individual clinicians and pathologists; there is no specific test for the disease. Because it is a subjective diagnosis, there exists inherent error. In fact, there is a known 20% diagnostic error in Crohn's disease.
so, we are at the point that we dont know what it is, why it is, and how it is... for now i dont see how we could get any kind of a cure in the near future withour answering those 3 questions ... thats why I am excited about the MAP theory.. for now, the MAP theory and the Hygiene hypothesis are the only 2 active theories that are trying to answer those questions

The problem is that there are so many different factors that seem to make people get Crohn's and it varies between people so it's pretty difficult to understand. It's a really complex disease, unfortunately. I do believe that one factor for me is that my aunt had MS, so I was predisposed to having an autoimmune condition. No family history of CD though. I don't think that food triggered it for me, but I do believe that stress did in my case, because I was under a tremendous amount of stress when the disease first hit me. I'm sure it was laying dormant before that, but stress is definitely what made it all start in my case. I hope that they figure out exactly what causes this and if there are any controllable environmental factors that can be used to prevent this, and hopefully some day find a cure, but I think it'll be a loooong time before we see one, unfortunately.

I do hope that one day there is a cure. I think its a long time off though. Because I feel there are too many variables as to the cause of Crohns. Some have strong family histories of autoimmune diseases in their families. Some one in a family might have RA, while another Crohns or another might have MS. Then there are folks like myself who have absolutely no family history. But....I did take alot of antibiotics as a child, drank lots of milk, and started smoking at a very young age (13). Smoking is a known trigger for Crohns, so I personally thats what did it to me. But I think debilitated has one good point, that more people are coming down with it, and I personally feel it has something to do with all the preservatives and fast foods in our diets now a days. JMHO

In europe and south America they are having 80% success rates with complete no symptom remission at the 6 year mark with stemcell transplants. 20% have had their symptoms decrease by such a large amount that their meds were reduced or stopped. Stem Cells are the key to a cure and life long remmission. If i could afford it I would go to Europe Tomorrow!

well this is terribly cynical....but here is my answer. Do I believe a cure is possible - yes. Do I believe it will be found anytime soon - no. the pharmaceutical companies make a lot of money treating these disease..there is no profit in a cure.

MMMNAVY said...
I actually feel like I was infected with this, but I have no scientific proof of this.

I didnt want to say it but I too think aliens gave me this




just kidding

Well, Stem cell transplants are happening right here in my neighborhood in chicago. He is correct. Success rates are unreal. They are just very hard procedures, risky and needed to be done carefully.

I honestly believe that we are going to continue to eat more poorly. More Mcdonalds, more fast food. The poor you get the worse off you eat. cheap food. Preservative food.

Ill bet in 5- 10 years, Crohn's will be something we will see all over the place.

cheap degrated but real.
Now they are scarfing down cows with massive amounts of corn. and hormones.

not grass.
massive amounts of antibiotics.

trust me... its A LOT different. It's the meat. Its the food... just because families grew up eating the "same" food doesnt mean anything. We all have different triggers.