Discovery made in Crohn's disease in Ashkenazi Jews

      Researchers recently identified five genetic variations associated with Crohn's disease and Jewish individuals of Eastern and Central European descent. Since the disease is two to four times more prevalent among individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent than among non-Jewish Europeans, this newly announced discovery is an important step toward understanding the genetic reasons for this higher prevalence.

     "The study identified genetic regions that hadn't been discovered before," says Peter K. Gregersen, M.D., head of the Robert S. Boas Center for Genomics and Human Genetics at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. He continues, "If additional studies of these regions are conducted, there is a chance that biological pathways affecting susceptibility to Crohn's disease could be found and novel treatments could be developed."

     Crohn's disease, an autoimmune disease causing inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, can be both painful and debilitating, with sometimes life-threatening complications. It is one of the five most prevalent gastrointestinal disease burdens in the United States, with an overall health care cost of more than $1.7 billion. Each year Crohn's disease accounts for more than 700,000 physician visits, 100,000 hospitalizations, and 119,000 instances of patient disabilities. While there is no cure for Crohn's disease, available therapies can reduce greatly the signs and symptoms of the disease.

-Source: Excerpted from "Researchers Discover Five Genetic Variations Associated with Crohn's Disease in Ashkenazi Jews," Focus on Research, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Inc., Fall 2012