Father tells me that the crohn's diease I have isn't genetic because we are not jewish?

In all the research I've done on Crohns, I have NEVER seen anything that ties it to Jewish genes.  I am not Jewish either and I know for a fact, as does my GI doctor, that I have Crohns Disease.  I'm sorry if you feel like your somehow ruining your family name - it just isn't true (in my opinion anyway)

Thank you so much for you'r reply. After six surgeries and 15 biopsies(sp) that were positive for crohn's ( that was 3 different colonoscpies that was performed by 3 different doctors [i believe it was actually 15 positive biopsies per colonoscpies ]. My father is truly upset by the idea there might be a kink in his perfect genes.

My father truly believes that only Jewish people can get it genetically. so i have no idea how i must have gotten it. If anybody has any ideas on this please reply and let me know how i can explain this to my father.

Thank you again,
redjeeep

This topic is actually pissing me because i can't believe some people can be so ignorant.

I'm from India and have no Jewish blood whatsoever in me and yet i have crohn's.

You can also research it online and show it to your dad that it doesn't have anything to do with Jewish people only. Anyone can have this disease.

I am the only one in my family that has Crohns and I am not Jewish either. You should tell your Dad that some get Crohns not because of anything heriditary but just because we have a faulty gene that has triggered Crohns in us.

I'm sorry to hear about your arm.  I will say this, I hope that ignorance is not genetic.

Your dad has his head in the sand about Crohns.  Ask him to do some research from a medical publication or better yet, bring him to a doc visit with you.  Let the person who went to med school set him straight.

I'm sorry for coming off harsh, but I hate that he is casting you off as someone with bad genes.

I hope you know that what he says is crap.

The bottom line is that there are something like 20 or more genetic markers that it is strongly believed by current research make an individual more susceptible to developing Crohns when they come in contact with one of a wide range of possibke environmental triggering factors (bacteria likely). Many of those genetic markers are more prevalent in some ethnic populations, including Jewish, but they are by no means resticted to them. A good analogy is the collection of genes that make one susceptible to developing alcoholism if one drinks -- more prevalent in Indian, irish and some northern European lines of descent, but not restricted to them. Your father is simply misinformed. You can and likely do have a collection of genetic factors that made you more prone to CD, but if it makes him feel better, only half (at most) would come from him, since you also have half of your mother's genes (and a quarter of each grandparent's, etc.) In fact, it is a dead certainty that each of us carries dozens, if not hundreds, of genes that make us more susceptible than average (and also less susceptible that average) to a huge range of medical and physiological conditions. It may be that he has a genetic proclivity to vain narrow mindedness . . .

I'm half jewish, half methodist swede and my crohn's came from the swedish/methodist side -- those are the only members that have it. My GI says it's very common in swedish ancestry. But she's swedish, so go figure.

Nanners said...
I am the only one in my family that has Crohns and I am not Jewish either. You should tell your Dad that some get Crohns not because of anything heriditary but just because we have a faulty gene that has triggered Crohns in us.

But that's contradictionary because of the fact that you are talking genes which do stem from heredity.

 

Plus, there is no guarantee that Redjeeps father (or other family member(s) won't end up with an IBD at some point, my mom didn't get UC until AFTER I got sick with CD.

 

:)

Redjeep, I had always heard something similar to what your father said. So I googled it and here's what I found: "Research has shown evidence of a genetic predisposition to a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IDB) among Jewish individuals of Eastern European descent."

It's from a Jewish website focusing exclusively on Jewish Genetic Disorders:

http://www.mazornet.com/genetics/crohnsdisease.htm

We have absolutely NO Jewish ancestry in our family on either side, either--just for the record! Maybe as an ethnic group they have higher incidence? I dunno...

I just now got my CCFC journal in the mail today and there's a long article discussing this actual topic (weird eh?)

I obviously won't type it word for word but I will share the most pertinant info from the article so don't mind my spelling mistakes (which I usually am very strict with LOL).

Because of a growing body of evidence, scientists believe that an individual's genetic predisposition, coupled with an environmental trigger(s) set the stage for evens that cause crohn's disease.

An example of the complex relationship between genetics, the evironment and microbes can be found amongs Ashken-a-z-i jews (had to hyphonate or it wouldn't allow it in the post). Ashkenaz- was the name first used in the middle ages for jews living along the Rhine River in northern France and western Germany. This part of the world, known as the Ashkenz region, became synonymous with the people living in the are.

Later in the 10th and 19th centuries, many of these people migrated eastward and settled in other parts of modern-day Germany, Poland, Austria, EasternEurope and Russia. Many jews who migrated from Europe to other continents in the past 2 centuries were Ashknaz- and today aprox 80% of the worldwide jewish population is Ashke****c in origin.

According to studies conducted over the last decade, IBD affects all etin groups and races. However, it's incidence is very high amongs Ashkenaz- jews. For example, the journal, Gastroenterology (1998;115:1056) oublished a study that found CD has an overall prevalence of 0.1% in North American white, non-jewsih populations. However amongst Ashkenaz- jews living in the same geographic area, IBD is 2-8 times more prevalent.

This seems to indicate that there is a strong genetic component to IBD. This was supported by a study published in the journal "Gut", that found the "first degree" relatives (siblings, offspring) of non-jews with IBD had a 5.2% and 1.6% life-time risk of developing CD and UC.

On the other hand, first degree relatives of jewish people with IBD had 7.8% and 4.5% life-time risk for CD and UC.

Even more revealing was the observation that jewish patients with IBD had a positive family history of 24.3% as opposed to non-jewish patients with a positive family history of only 14.6%.

Complicating the puzzle, there appears to be a geographical or environmental influence to the development of disease. Even amongs jewish peopl, there are differences in the prevalence of IBD based on where they live.

It's observed that jews living in the northern hemosphere have a higher prevalence of IBD in general than those living near the equator, while descendants of jewish immigrants who live in Isreal and South Africa have an intermediate rate of disease. The Israeli Arab community on the other hand has a low frequency of IBD.

The gap appears to be closing between non-jewsh caucasians ana Ashkenaz- jews and put forward the proposition that diseas like IBD have an inverse relationship to the degree of cleanliness in the environment.

Improved hygiene in many idustrialized countries has reduce the amount of exposure that peopl have to important bacteria (microbes). This reduced exposure alters the intestinal flora (normal bacteria in the gus that are essential for norma function) and/or immune system, and leaves genetically predisposed people vulnerable to developing IBD.

There has not been a gene identified so far that can be said to specifically predispose jews to a higher risk for IBD but much more studying is needed.

Bottom line so far, it's not just genetics and it's not just the environment or microbes, Each factor in isolation may pose a risk to an individual no matter what their race or gender or age may be but not necessarily represent a precursor to CD, however a combination of these factors may provide the background tha lends itself to the development of IBD.

Sorry, that was too long but important info!

:)

Redjeep,

Went to a Crohns seminar at a Jewish Community Center once. Grrrrr

I am not jewish and I have crohn's, Does the post about microbes give me permission to not clean my house, I could use the excuse that I am saving my children from ending up with my horrible disease.