Do you think Crohn's disease originated from food poisoning? |
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Question:
Do you think Crohn's disease originated from food poisoning?
About 3 years ago I was diagnosed with have food poisoning from one of our local restaurants. A year later, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I can't help but think somehow the bacteria that caused my food poisoning also caused my Crohn's disease.
What are your thoughts on this matter.
Thanks,
Lisa |
What Causes Crohn’s Disease?
To date we do not really know what causes Crohn’s Disease. There are many theories that are being researched:
- Genetic pre-disposition: Some scientists think that it is in your genes and carried down from family history. However, research shows that only about 20% of Crohn’s patients have a “traceable” family history of IBD.
- Bacterial infection: There is research supporting that there are specific bacteria that cause Crohn’s Disease.
- Milk: There has been much research in the UK and Australia to support that there are certain bacterial in milk that survive pasteurization. There is a disease in cows that is very similar to Crohn’s Disease.
Personal note: I never drank milk my entire life, however, in the summer of 1997 I started to force myself to drink milk. Within 3 months, I started having sever abdomen pain. Coincidence or was there a link? I don’t really know…
- Food: Here’s a theory with a lot less support in the science community. Although there is no doubt that food can irritate your condition and that there are certain foods that Crohn’s patients should not eat. There is very little support for the notion that a certain food can CREATE Crohn’s Disease.
As for your question regarding whether the same bacteria that created your food poisoning created your Crohn’s Disease – we really have no way of knowing for sure.
Most doctors would argue that this is probably just a quincidence and that there is no direct link. But, with the little we know about the causes of Crohn’s, I would be more likely to say that it is always a possibility.
I would also encourage you to look into other factors like family history, any life changes at that time, any major changes in diet, etc…
In my example, there were many factors around the time of my diagnosis:
- I had come off of over a year of antibiotics (so my intestines had lost all their good bacteria).
- I had started drinking lots of milk
- I had a very stressful event occur in my life
Also, in my history, when I was less than 1 year old, I had been hospitalized for severe diarrhea and was in the hospital for days (I could not eat or drink anything). So, one might even think, “Did I have Crohn’s back then but it just did not activate till I was 13?”
Unfortunately, we have no sure answer as to how Crohn’s Disease gets started – but we’re well on our way with the research.
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