What causes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?
No one knows for sure what causes IBD. But, researchers think the following things may all play a role: • a faulty immune system • heredity • environment Many researchers think that abnormal action of a person’s immune system may trigger IBD. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infections caused by viruses or bacteria. Once the infection has cleared up, the immune system “shuts off.” But in people with IBD, the immune system seems to overreact to something in the digestive tract. And once it starts working, the immune system in IBD fails to “shut off.” This causes the ongoing inflammation, ulcers and other problems of IBD. Some researchers think a virus or bacterium may trigger the immune system to act this way. IBD clearly tends to run in families. Roughly 10 to 30 percent of people with IBD have a relative with the disease. Women who have family members with IBD have at least 10 times the chance of developing IBD compared with other people.
No one knows for sure what causes IBD. But, researchers think the following things may all play a role: • a faulty immune system • heredity • environment Many researchers think that abnormal action of a person’s immune system may trigger IBD. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infections caused by viruses or bacteria. Once the infection has cleared up, the immune system “shuts off.” But in people with IBD, the immune system seems to overreact to something in the digestive tract. And once it starts working, the immune system in IBD fails to “shut off.” This causes the ongoing inflammation, ulcers and other problems of IBD. Some researchers think a virus or bacterium may trigger the immune system to act this way. IBD clearly tends to run in families. Roughly 10 to 30 percent of people with IBD have a relative with the disease. Women who have family members with IBD have at least 10 times the chance of developing IBD compared with other people. This suggests that inherited
