What is Crohn's disease?
Crohn's and ulcerative colitis are the main diseases in the larger group of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It is a chronic inflammatory response of the immune system, which normally works against bacteria and pollutants that should not cause an inflammatory reaction. The immune system fails to remove the pollutants, leading to persistent inflammation in the intestines. Crohn's disease is usually diagnosed at an early age, between 15-25 years. It exists worldwide but appears to be more common in developed countries.
Crohn's disease tends to run in families, indicating a significant role in genetics. So far, more than a hundred genes have been found to be involved in its development. However, IBDs have only appeared in the last century, indicating that the environment also plays a crucial role, perhaps even more than genetics. Nevertheless, most of the environmental factors are still unknown, so we cannot advise family members of patients on how to manage their lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing Crohn's.
There are many treatments available for the disease, and the right combination of them leads, in most cases, to a good and healthy quality of life despite the disease.
What is the GEM project?
The goal of the GEM (Genetic Environmental Microbial) project is to discover why Crohn's disease only occurs in certain individuals. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that alternates between periods of remission and periods of active inflammation. We hope to identify the factors contributing to Crohn's disease by following healthy siblings or children of Crohn's patients for several years.
Research shows that inflammatory bowel diseases are related to genetics, the immune system, bacteria, and unknown environmental factors. Close family members of a Crohn's patient are at a 10-30 times higher risk of developing the disease themselves compared to the general population. Therefore, healthy family members are the target population for this research.
Who can participate in the GEM project?
If you have Crohn's disease and have healthy children or siblings aged 6-35, please inform them about the possibility of being part of the effort to find the causes of the disease and possibly learn how to prevent it in the future.
What is involved in joining the study?
Participation in the study involves two short visits, about two hours each. During the visits, healthy participants will be asked to:
- Complete three questionnaires (general survey, environmental exposure assessment, and dietary evaluation).
- Provide blood, urine, and stool samples.
- Collect urine overnight after drinking a sweetened beverage the night before.
We will contact the healthy participants by phone every six months for six years. If an inflammatory bowel disease develops in a participant, we will ask them to repeat the initial visit. Additionally, 10% of healthy participants will be randomly asked to repeat the initial visit as part of a control group.