My First post today and I just want to start off stating that I know Chrons Disease Should be spelt Crohns Disease! I also know that many people like me spelt it wrong when first diagnosed and so are probably not finding all the information on Chrons disease / Crohn's Disease! So please forgive me :-)
Right on to the first Chron's Disease news post:
Early exposure to farm animals lowers IBD (Chrons Disease or ulcerative colitis) risk
A study has been done that seems to suggest that if you are regularly exposed to farm animals as a child or infant you are less likely than others to develop Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in childhood. This is according to the findings of a German study published in the journal Pediatrics.
There are about 12,000 children and adolescents in Germany who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to Dr. Katja Radon and colleagues at Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich. With the recent increase in Crohn's disease (a type of inflammatory bowel disease) especially in industrialized countries like the UK, Germany and the USA, its pronounced geographical variation, suggests that environmental factors contribute this condition.
The researchers examined the association between contact with farm animals in infancy and the development of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in childhood. Data were analyzed for 748 IBD cases (444 with Crohn's disease and 304 with ulcerative colitis) and 1,481 healthy "control" children.
The children with IBD were more likely than the control children to live in urban areas. Regular contact with farm animals during the first year of life was inversely associated with IBD, the investigators report.
Specifically, the children with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis were about 50 percent less likely to have regular contact with farm animals in infancy compared with the healthy children.
"The results of this study indicate that farm animal contact during infancy, one of the major factors protecting individuals against childhood allergies, might also decrease the risk of juvenile IBD, (Chrons Disease or ulcerative colitis)" Radon's team concludes. The findings also support the hypothesis that allergic diseases and IBD might have similar paths of development.
Chrons Disease news source: Pediatrics, August 2007.
Tip: Some great Chron's disease self help books can be found on the internet: Abebooks.com has a large selection (link opens a new window)
For people with Chrons Disease from the UK
Just as a last note, If you are into cooking (and eating!) this book I got on Amazon really helped me and I really think it is excellent:
How to Cook for Chrons / Crohn's and Colitis
1 comment:
hey. My gran has battled with crohn's disease for over 30 years, and something she told me made me want to share it with other people, and hopefully hear of similar stories. Her son (my uncle) from england, sent her a newspaper article a few years back about a farm that, when visited, most people developed crohns disease in the near future. sounds a bit far fetch'd. But, the street that my gran stayed on for most of her life, was perviously a farm. And on that street, 12 people were diagnosed with the disease (no exaduration on the 12). its is highly unlikely for 12 people to have the disease in a full housing scheme, never mind the one sreet. my gran had informed her doctor about the others, and the doctor seemed sure that there was something up. the doctor told my gran to get names and dates of birth, so that he could take it further. the doctor then had a forced retirement and sadly nothing happened. Anyone's opinion on this would be appreciated, thanks.
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