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Posted 8/21/2014 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
A few genetics stats for UC:

1) People with UC have a first degree relative with UC in 5.7 - 15.5% of cases.

2) The lifetime risk of developing IBD for a first degree relative of a UC proband is 1.6% for non-Jews and 5.2% doe Jews.

3) The pooled concordance of UC in monozygotic twins is 10% and in dizygotic twins it is 3%.



@ R&D - The reason we can rule out certain things and be sure they dont cause UC is through epidemiological studies. Its as simple as that. Its possible that these things can increase risk, but they dont cause it
Posted 8/21/2014 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
Yah, that is what I'm after...show me the epidemiological study that proves stress and/or diet DOES NOT cause UC--I can't find it anywhere!
Posted 8/21/2014 7:24 AM (GMT 0)
Show me the study that proves sitting too close to the tv as a child doesn't cause UC. Or using a cell phone, Drinking water? They need to study what causes it not what does not. If they really thought stress and diet were a major cause there probably would be a good study you could find. There are too many people with low stress and a healthy diet who get Crohns and UC. If a crappy diet and stress was the cause then 90% of the people I know would have UC. What about pediatric UC? Babies are so stressed and they have bad diets?
Posted 8/21/2014 11:08 AM (GMT 0)
From about 34 years of study this is what I believe UC to be,this is from my few week old thread.

Old Mike

They may have missed more than a few things but they generally have it right.

The could have talked about FT,or protease inhibitors,or building the mucus more.

But I give them an B+ for effort, trying to get at the real cause.

Perhaps might wake up some of the gi docs,but I doubt it.

What causes the initial breach,and why is it not repaired. We can guess antibiotics,or some infection/MAP, possibly causing the breach. Why is it not repaired then perhaps remains a puzzle, immune system overwhelmed, chemicals in food,deficient diet to rebuild core mucins, persistant infection,poor initial immune response.

I don't believe it is autoimmune, but a normal

immune response to commensal bacteria.

Old Mike 

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/pdf/v20/i28/9468.pdf


one of my favorite papers

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3740207/


10000 biopsy paper

http://www.charite.de/arbmkl/themen/ubersicht/polensascha.pdf

Posted 8/21/2014 12:46 PM (GMT 0)

scum1 said...
Show me the study that proves sitting too close to the tv as a child doesn't cause UC. Or using a cell phone, Drinking water? They need to study what causes it not what does not. If they really thought stress and diet were a major cause there probably would be a good study you could find. There are too many people with low stress and a healthy diet who get Crohns and UC. If a crappy diet and stress was the cause then 90% of the people I know would have UC. What about pediatric UC? Babies are so stressed and they have bad diets?

Agreed. No stress or poor diet when I contracted disease. Stress and poor diet can kill you, but isn't cause for everyone's UC. If someone asks me to post my source for that one I am quiting for the day, lol.
Posted 8/21/2014 12:48 PM (GMT 0)

scum1 said...
Show me the study that proves sitting too close to the tv as a child doesn't cause UC. Or using a cell phone, Drinking water? They need to study what causes it not what does not. If they really thought stress and diet were a major cause there probably would be a good study you could find. There are too many people with low stress and a healthy diet who get Crohns and UC. If a crappy diet and stress was the cause then 90% of the people I know would have UC. What about pediatric UC? Babies are so stressed and they have bad diets?

Personally, I doubt that stress and diet are THE cause of UC (though it seems reasonable that they could be one of many causes)...that is not my argument. I just think it is ridiculous to claim that they don't cause UC without some substantial evidence. For example, I would never just make a claim that sitting too close to the TV DOESN'T cause UC unless I actually could present proof to back it up! Furthermore, diet in particular is so intimately related to the colon that I feel evidence is particularly necessary. It is as if the experts are saying that the fuel you put in your car DOESN'T cause any of the problems you are having with the engine...and they are saying this with very little proof...and everyone just nods and continues reading...it drives me crazy! I also don't consider the fact that other cars run fine on the fuel I'm using to be proof. I mean, my new McClaren F1 might not run as well on E85 as my flex fuel ford truck.

Your examples definitely prove, however, that stress and diet are not necessary or sufficient for UC. This actually places them in the same category as genetics (which have also--so far--been shown to be neither necessary nor sufficient in the development of UC). I guess I just feel that people need to use great caution when making true/false statements about a disease as complex and mysterious as UC.
Posted 8/21/2014 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
A lot of confusion arises when people mix up the notion of 'trigger' and 'cause'.
Some of the things mentioned are triggers that only come into play once the illness has been activated.
Posted 8/21/2014 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
Dr-A,
I have little trouble believing this statement--"Stress and poor diet can kill you, but isn't cause for everyone's UC." I don't even need a source from you haha

but great trouble believing this one -- "Stress and poor diet DON'T cause UC."

I was actually a national class distance runner and my diet was very good too. I was under tremendous stress when I developed UC, but this does not in any way prove causation.
Posted 8/21/2014 1:08 PM (GMT 0)

ambling said...
A lot of confusion arises when people mix up the notion of 'trigger' and 'cause'.
Some of the things mentioned are triggers that only come into play once the illness has been activated.

So I might be confused here. If I have the disease, but I never have a 'trigger'...am I just normal? Theoretically, could everyone on the planet have UC...but they have just never come into contact with a 'trigger'. Or are you saying that you already feel sick and a trigger can only make things worse. It seems like it would be very difficult to prove what is a trigger and what is a cause. I have not read about 'triggers', however, so I will admit right away that you know way more than me on this topic...but I'd like to learn!
Posted 8/21/2014 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like an argument over semantics to me haha. I see your general point that until we understand the true cause of uc you cannot rule out anything as contributing to causing it. Generally, you test against the null hypothesis as part of the scientific model.
Posted 8/21/2014 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Triggers are just another hypothesis. Some percent of the population ais more likely to get uc, they just need a trigger that causes it. That trigger can happen anytime in life. Some never have that trigger activated.
Posted 8/21/2014 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
In this case a trigger may be considered as something that exacerbates the illness or its symptoms.

For example; over-eating, stress, lack of sleep, eating some particular food, etc, are all things that people would normally have tolerated before their disease became active.
Many people report certain things as 'triggering' their symptoms without suggesting that they caused the illness.
The cause remains as yet unknown, whereas triggers are often identifiable.
Posted 8/21/2014 3:12 PM (GMT 0)

ambling said...
In this case a trigger may be considered as something that exacerbates the illness or its symptoms.
For example; over-eating, stress, lack of sleep, eating some particular food, etc, are all things that people would normally have tolerated before their disease became active.
Many people report certain things as 'triggering' their symptoms without suggesting that they caused the illness.
The cause remains as yet unknown, whereas triggers are often identifiable.

A very intelligent reply. No matter how long I am in remission, indulging in food triggers will soon awaken my symptoms again.

Continue with the dietary insult and symptoms get worse. There is no doubt in my mind that if I didn't stop eating shellfish or broccoli or whatever that was triggering symptoms that soon I will be in a full-blown flare again. And everyone knows how hard it is to return to remission from a serious flare.
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