Crohn’s Disease Research - Current |
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 - Enzo Starts Crohn's Disease Resarch
Given that nearly 2 million people in the United States alone have Crohn’s disease, it should be no surprise that millions of dollars of research money is being poured into finding better, more effective treatments, as well as the possibility of a cure.
Drugs in the Works
The side-affects of most of today’s treatments can be almost as bad as the disease itself. Because of this, newer and better medications are being researched.
- Budesonide – This medication may take the place of Prednisone® soon. The new corticosteroid to date seems equally as effective as its older cousin, but without the nasty side effects.
- Cimzia – It has been shown that cells affected by Crohn’s disease contain a protein produced by the immune system called tumor necrosis factor, or TNF. This protein is believed to be the cause of some of the inflammation involved in the disease. This new medication would find the TNF in the bloodstream, bind to it, and remove it before allowing it to cause problems in the bowels. To date the drug has shown improvements in resolving fistulas as well.
- Methotrexate and cyclosporine are both immunosuppressive drugs that are being tested to determine their use in treating Crohn’s disease and other IBD. Unlike the immunosuppressive medications being used today, these two work at a must faster rate according to initial results. This could be a huge benefit to warding off a severe flare-up at the earliest stages.
- Zinc – Studies are underway right now to determine how useful these supplements may be in lessening inflammation. Zinc is thought to be very effective in removing free radicals, molecules produced during infection, fat metabolism, and stress. These free radicals can cause severe irritation and cell damage when they interact with other molecules in the body, leading to inflammation.
Other Studies
Today, scientists and physicians alike are working to find out once and for all what causes Crohn’s in order to find a better chance at healing the disease, rather than just the symptoms.
An unusual study is taking place right now that involves the use of parasites. While some scientists believe that a bacterial infection is to blame, other researchers believe that Crohn’s may be caused by how germ-conscious society is today. With no germs or parasites to act against in the bowels, some scientists believe that the intestines become overactive in a search for these missing microorganisms.
So, researchers have taken to having patients swallow 2500 pig whipworm eggs every three weeks for six months, and results are encouraging. According to reports so far, the parasites have been shown to alleviate the condition in some patients. Because of the very short life span of the whip worm they cause no long-term problems.
The long-term prognosis for some Crohn’s patients has gotten better. Only one quarter of patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease 20 years ago still have the disease. Only 3.4% of the 273 patients had ileal or colic adenocarcinoma, or cancer. However, of the 16 who died during the 20-year study, 11 died of complications of the disease.
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