Study links Crohn’s disease to weakened immune system
University of Toronto researchers find Crohn’s disease may result from immune weakness, challenging the belief it is caused by immune overactivity.
Key Takeaways
AIA study by University of Toronto researchers has found that Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, may be triggered by a weakened immune system rather than an overactive one.
The study monitored immune cell activity during infections in animal models, some with a healthy version of a specific gene and others with a defective version. Mutations in this gene have been strongly linked to an increased risk of Crohn’s disease, according to Russia Today.
Researchers discovered that the absence of the healthy gene led to fewer T cells being recruited to the lymph nodes in the gut, reducing the body’s ability to fight infection.
The team confirmed that before inflammation appears, there is a weakened initial immune response. This finding helps explain why current Crohn’s medications, which reduce inflammation and block immune cell recruitment, are effective for some patients but not others.
If the root cause is immune weakness rather than overactivity, these medications may not work for those with certain gene mutations, as the underlying mechanism of the disease differs.