On the basis of DNA-research, it is possible to assess the risk run by an individual of developing Crohn's Disease. The course of the disease can also be predicted in this way. This is the first time that scientists have been able to use DNA-analysis to make predictions about the course of a complex disease with multiple causal factors, like Crohn’s disease. This has been shown by research carried out by a medical specialist in gastrointestinal and liver diseases, Rinse Weersma at the University Medical Center in Groningen. He will defend his doctoral thesis on October the 17th, at the University of Groningen.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammatory diseases of the bowel. In the Netherlands it is estimated that 35,000 people suffer from these diseases. Frequently occurring symptoms of these diseases include diarrhea, blood loss, abdominal pain, narrowing of the bowel, as well as eye and skin conditions. The disease is episodic with periods of activity and it often starts at an early age. The cause of the disease is unknown. It has been proposed that it is caused by an abnormal immunological reaction to bacteria that are normally present in the bowel. There are also clear indications that environmental factors, like smoking, play a role in the onset of this disease too. Epidemiologic research has shown that the disease occurs more frequently within families and in twins. This suggests that besides those factors already mentioned, there must also be a hereditary (genetic) component to the origin of the disease.
Genetic research
Weersma studied the genetic background of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. For this purpose,, he collected data from a total of 3000 patients in collaboration with all the University Medical Centers in the Netherlands. He also recorded all clinical characteristics of these patients. In his research, Weersma describes the genetic associations between mutations in a number of genes that increase the risk of developing an inflammatory bowel disease.
Implications in clinical practice
Weersma demonstrates that using DNA research, it is possible to build up a profile relating to the risk of not only its onset, but also the severity of the course of Crohn's Disease. His research has also revealed that previously discovered mutations in the IBD5 locus, DLG5, NOD2, ATG16L1 and IL23R, are, also associated with Crohn's Disease in the Dutch population. He describes new mutations in the RUNX3 gene that increase the risk of developing ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, it appears that hereditary factors play a a more important role in the development of Crohn's Disease in people under the age of eighteen, than they do if the disease firsts manifests itself in adulthood.
Curriculum Vitae
Drs. R.K. Weersma was born in Delfzijl in 1972 and studied medicine at the University of Groningen. He carried out his research at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Medical Center in Groningen, The Netherlands. His research was financed by the Netherlands Association for Gastroenterology, the de Cock Foundation and Schering Plough. He will be awarded a doctorate in medical sciences under the supervision of Professor J.H. Kleibeuker and Professor C. Wijmenga. The title of his PhD thesis is: ‘Genetic susceptibility for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases’.
Information
Contact via Joost Wessels, UMCG, Communication department, tel. 050-361 4464 / 361 2200, e-mail: j.r.l.wessels@bvl.umcg.nl
