Survey of the Day ( Which statement best describes what you believe when it comes to U.C.?)Oct.24th

 

Any comments are always appreciated...

None of them really. I believe my UC came about by an environmental factor and it isn't affected by stress or diet. I am by nature a VERY high strung, stressed out person. I went through a difficult fall semester last year and never flared because of it. Plus my diet is less than ideal. I eat like a true college student...

I believe it is a genetic thing. 3 of 9 grandkids on my husbands side of the family have UC and all were dx as kids. I can't speak for my neice, but my kids can pretty much eat anything they want. I don't think stress really plays a factor for them - my son flares every summer when he is at his most relaxed.

Thanks

http://www.asacol.com/ulcerative-colitis/colitis-genetics.jsp

http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~JX2S4hK.Wk7Z.9y

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090104164208.htm

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2003/12_19_03c.html

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2009/01/08/44826.aspx

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/uops-ngm010209.php  (this link will likely have to be copy and pasted, and it's well worth the trouble)

Please check out all the links, they each offer something in regards to genetics and IBD which I think most all of you will find interesting if you haven't read or heard about them already...it's not always about what what want to believe, especially when there is scientific proof of facts that often change what we "think" is the cause.  I know research still has much to figure out about IBD but more and more the facts are definitely pointing in a common direction...I don't want to cause issues with anyone here about what they believe or think, I just want to share what science knows so far.

:)

I think IBD is a weird and complex disease, it dates back over a hundred yrs, researchers have no clue as to how exactly it is/can be passed down, unless you know your entire family health history from many generations ago then it's anyone's guess really...I mean I know in my family history I got crohn's before my mom got UC, most would expect it to be the other way around, but obviously her IBD wasn't triggered (for whatever reason) until after mine was...and although to date none of my other siblings have IBD (not that any have admitted to since not everyone is willing to share it) I don't think they are necessarily safe from never getting. People a hundred yrs ago were even less reluctant to share their bowel habits, it would have been frowned upon I'm sure, heck, many people today won't even reveal issues with their guts thanks to society putting such a negative spin on it. This is just how I see it though...so I'm not pushing my opinion on anyone else, I just know with this disease being so weird and with researchers still having much to learn about it that it's something that people should consider, like looking at the big picture. Knowing it's not a contagious disease rules out getting it from contact with other people that have it, so to me it just seems obvious that it's mainly genetic based with having to be triggered as well of course.

:)

None of the above mine started when i gave up smoking.

100% absolutely positively without a doubt diet is a major factor
with my UC. I can maintain remission with diet alone.
I can also bring on a flare by altering my diet. Been doing
it for years and have complete control of my UC with my diet.

I think hormones play(ed) a role for me. Also maybe genetics, my mom has a different autoimmune disease, just not UC. But I don't think it's necessarily only genetics for others.

I don't believe stress and/or diet causes UC, otherwise a lot more people would have it. But, I do believe that both items impact the severity of the UC in people who have it, to one degree or another. Stress impacts mine in a big way, diet less so.

That is pretty much exactly the way I see it, if my mom's UC had never been triggered after mine was then I'd be walking around thinking I was the only one in my family that had IBD when infact I wouldn't be...this is why I find the researchers so frustrating, because of the fact that they don't know how exactly it's passed down, and because of that they conclude that it's genetic for some but not for all which seems ridiculous to me...for all I know there could have been tons of family members of mine that had IBD but it was never triggered (or never realized or even discussed). Plus they have found many specific genes related to IBD, some that are specific to crohn's and some that are specific to UC, so why researchers don't say they know for sure that it's genetic (with an environmental trigger) is beyond me....it's frustrating.

I know people can get colitis from over-use of antibiotics but honestly I look at the antibiotics as being the "trigger" in those cases. (and that they were more than likely predisposed to getting an IBD)..here's a prime example though, one of my sisters was a real antibiotic-junky for herself and her 2 kids, for yrs, I don't even think antibiotics work for the 3 of them anymore cuz they used it so much yet not one of them has bowel issues....BTW all 3 of them smoke and started at fairly young ages and have never attempted quitting smoking.

Just a bizzaro disease that you'd think researchers would know alot more about by now than they do.

:)

I think there's a genetic predisposition that must be present first of all, then some environmental trigger - who knows what. Could be stress, something you eat, antibiotics, pollution, whatever. And it probably takes a combination of stressors to trigger it.

No one in my family has had IBD or any other autoimmune disease, so I assume in my case it's a new mutation. What a joke on me, eh?

Also, fruitgirl: I have the same thing with my bugs. You can torture mosquitoes in terrible ways and no one cares.

I'm actually not sure, as most of my work is either in the field, or IDing specimens from the field. I don't actually breed the little buggers XD. No pun intended.

There are a decent number of entomologist who work on vector competence, so that doesn't surprise me. It's one of the fields I'm looking at.

Departmental drama seems to get in the way of too much of my work here. It sucks. It complicates me because the guy I'm actually working from doesn't want me showing my work to the head of the department until it's near finished, but from the work I've done said head of department actually has the capability to help me the most on my writing. Then the other author never answers my questions directly, I have to keep pestering him and even then I don't get a straight answers. Like today, an email conversation went like this: "Do you know any good articles for such and such" "Check PubMed".