What can we expect in next 10 years?

It's been 11 years since I was diagnosed and not much has changed. (I had to have surgery 5 yrs ago). I certainly hope for future generations that treatments change for the better. And sooner rather than later.

I'll say it, a cure darn it. If they can land a man on the moon then this has got to be a bit easier. I'm an impatient person so any day now please...

I think (hope) a better understanding of which specific gut microbe species and strains improve or worsen IBD, resulting in a more targeted application of microbial therapy, through either oral probiotics or FMT. Right now, both seem to be a shotgun approach, and GI's don't really know what microbes will help any specific patient.

I have had UC for 28 years and it's the same old drugs, same old flares, and same old nothing helps. I am convinced we are lacking a protein in our gut that is causing these diseases. I am no doctor, but I research. My opinion, but they aren't doing enough to find a cure. There are much worse disease out there that seem to take precedence. Well, I pray everyday for, at least, a better medication for my 25 year old daughter who now has this awful disease. It is all my fault! It obviously has some genetics connected to it as well. The protein is lacking in me and now in her. I don't want her to suffer anymore. She has it much worse than I do and I feel so bad for her. She barely speaks to me and I pray she will one day. I love her more than anything and I wish I could take her disease and add it to mine so she could be cured. Prayer is all I have at this point. I pray for all of us!

Theres not much in the pipeline, I'm afraid UC treatments will remain the same for my lifetime at least.

So many pessimists here. Researchers better darn find a cure in my lifetime, if they don't, then I swear I'll come back and haunt them until they do. I'll torment them *In my best spooky voice* you will find the cure, you will work long hours...

I suspect that at some point ( maybe within 10 years ), they will discover a root cause ( or family of causes ) linked to issues higher in the gut in the small intestine that are the trigger of many of the "auto-immune" family of conditions. I know that I'm not breaking any new ground here with that concept..... The more I read about increased intestinal permeability, the more I'm becoming convinced that a lot our problems start there, and then manifest themselves in different areas depending on genetic predispositions. Whether its a potential pathogen like MAP ( or something similar ), food and/or chemical intolerances, a reaction to "normal" benign luminary bacteria, or something still yet undiscovered, I believe the key to figuring out some of these conditions will be in the small intestine. Keeping things out of the blood stream that would should never be there, and subsequently not allowing the cascade of immune / inflammatory responses to start via better regulation of the tight junctions in the small intestine holds some promise in my opinion.

24 year veteran here - I've not seen anything leading toward a cure BUT better meds are available from when I was first diagnosed. I am usually an eternal optimist but in this case I'm with the pessimists. I doubt a cure will be found in 10 years because for one, they have never really found the true cause.

I don't think a cure will be found sadly, but everyone saying meds haven't changed in 25 years, wasn't Remicade approved for UC no longer than 10 years ago or so? That has put a lot of people in remission. And as far as I understand Entyvio is also fairly new within a few years which has helped a good many people. HepC used to be where no one had anything to really help as far as I understand and then within the last 10 years they've made enough progress to where a medicine will now pretty much treat it no problems. I don't need a cure as long as there's a medication that can put me in permanent remission no problem, that's good enough for me.

It is hard to say cause is not yet found. Precise cause and just how many distinct types of UC is still being researched.

It is known that it is generally a combination of genetic susceptibilities (spread across 163+ gene loci, clustered in some families), composition/function of the gut microbiome, pathological permeability of the mucosal wall, and environmental triggers (vary form illness, antibiotics, smoking cessation, food sensitivities ...)

the fact that there appears to be several different pathways that all end up with the signaling in the immune system going haywire, is a lot of why the precise causes are not fully documented.

It sounds like you think one trigger (maybe one that applies to you) rules out all other triggers. This reasoning is too simplistic. If you case was triggered by ameoba infestation from unclean water, that does not mean antibiotics did nto trigger someone else.

In either case the trigger caused a change in the gut microbes that did not re balance, or it affected permeability of the mucosal lining. Either of the changes were particularly unfortunate for your particular genetic makeup - especially as regards genes that regulate immune system. (In fact other parts of your genome might have left your gut microbes or mucosla lining more vulnerable to upset.)

A lot is known. But it is complex. And there appear to be some distinct subtypes.

Noelhelp.....the reason your daughter doesn't talk to you is solely because she believes she inherited the UC from you?



Being a realist here......I don't imagine a cure. I agree with better treatment meds, which will obviously be subjective in their success with more advanced delivery release (topicals), as well as other immuno/biologic type meds. I don't see any changes regarding cause because there are so many possibilities regarding triggers (and patients would hardly recognise changes within themselves to seek professional help at a crucial time period)....unless there are those special few that might spark an aha moment for the specialists to push further. I believe UC and CD are within our genetic tendencies. Some unlocked sooner then others. If the children of IBDers were to be studied over a long period of time, that might zone into a clue. As i said earlier, many symptoms are easily overlooked, ignored, and too embarrassing to even admit.
Just this weekend, my SIL's FB friend admitted to having the"flu" (ahem) and puking from bith ends. My SIL thought that was too much information. OMG.

q

There is a crapload of new ibd medications in the pipeline.
There are biologic meds that deal with different receptors other than tnf
There are also pill forms in the pipeline as well as labwork that will indicate what treatment option will work best.
They have gotten far in the realization that ibd is probably many more than 2 diseases.
They know that the inflammation in the bowels is likely caused by different things and depending on what causes it there will be different treatment options
There is more monitoring and education as well as at home fecal Calpro monitoring coming out

So stay tuned and hang in there