What causes Crohn's disease?

Unfortunately it is not known what causes Crohn’s disease, though it is believed that diet can play a key roll in assisting patients with Crohn’s disease. It is also thought that the disease could be genetically inherited, but it could also be the lifestyle and diet routine of the family that is inherited.

There are various theories surrounding the causes of Crohn’s disease that are of interest to the scientific community, but none have been proven.

Of great interest to Crohn's Directory is the idea that the body’s immune system is reacting unfavorably in people with Crohn’s disease because the immune system mistakes components of food, bacteria and other foreign substances such as antigens as something much worse. The result is that the body responds by attacking these “intruders” by sending white blood cells the “affected” area.

The accumulation of these white blood cells in the lining of the stomach causes chronic inflammation, ulcerations and bowel scarring. Interestingly, some scientists believe that antigens themselves could be the cause of inflammation, where a protein produced by the immune system, called anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) creates the inflammatory problems associated with Crohn’s disease.