Is Crohn’s Disease Tied to Cattle Germ?

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s disease is currently attributed to the sufferer’s own immune system attacking his digestive track. Challenging this long-standing belief is a WSU professor, Davis, who believes the disease may originate from the germ, mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), that is found in cattle. MAP causes Johne’s disease in cows. The symptoms of Johne’s disease in cattle are similar to those experienced by sufferers of Crohn’s disease. Davis is currently working with a team of international scientists to develop a vaccine to fight the spread of the disease he believes is caused by MAP.

How Dangerous is MAP

Over the last century, MAP has infected cattle in large numbers becoming worthy of attention. This germ is secreted in cows’ milk and feces. With the rapid growth of both Crohn’s and Johne’s disease, and in consideration of the similarity of the symptoms, Davis believes there is a link between the diseases.

The suggestion that Crohn’s disease is being transmitted through the food chain has sparked controversy in scientific communities. Evidently, the plausibility of a connection between MAP and eating unpasteurized milk and raw or undercooked meat was enough to warrant a warning issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2006. The warning was issued as a fact sheet that reported researchers’ concerns about the possibility that MAPS is being transmitted through the food chain from cows to humans with the potential for causing Crohn’s disease.

Controversial Nature of Crohn’s Research

The controversy about MAP focuses on a debate about the impact of MAP on humans. What feeds the controversy is the fact that MAP is found in both healthy and unhealthy people and that all people with MAP present in their system do no become ill with Crohn’s disease. More research is required to prove a conclusive link between MAP and Crohn’s disease. The fact that MAP is not found in all people with Crohn’s disease encourages many skeptics to question any definitive connection. Researcher and physician, William Chamberlain states that he does not need that type of absolute evidence to believe there is a link between MAP and Crohn’s disease.

New Vaccine

Davis and other scientists continue to study the impact of a new vaccine developed to treat MAP. In 2011, the scientists’ findings were published showing promising results. The vaccine prevented the MAP germ from becoming active and causing problems in the cattles’ digestive tract.

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The Link Between Accutane and Crohn’s Disease

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Crohn's Disease

There has been a link established between the drug Accutane and the development of Crohn’s disease. Although the makers of this drug, Roche Ag recalled this medication, they cite it is due to economic concerns. With the generic version of Accutane on the market now and being sold by rival pharmaceutical companies, Roche AG halted the sales of this drug.

It should be noted that the FDA did issue a statement that they did not find safety nor effectiveness to be a reason for the recall of the drug from the market. It should also be noted that during the distribution of Accutane by Roche AG, the FDA did place a black box warning on the drug. The black box warning is the strongest warning from them that indicates medical studies have shown that the drug can cause serious problems in some individuals while taking the drug.

Many people believe it is actually due to the mounting lawsuits being levied against the manufacturer and large awards for the patients through legal mediation, which has forced Roche AG to withdraw the sale of Accutane.

Accutane was first introduced in the United States and approved by the FDA in 1982. The drug was found to be very effective in the treatment of some forms of acne that would not respond to other methods of treatment.

While practically dominating the market during the 80′s, Accutane patients started reporting problems that were serious in nature by the late 80′s.

These side effects ranged from kidney problems, psychiatric problems, severe birth defects, cardiovascular issues, central nervous system damage and autoimmune deficiencies. One of the worst problems was the severe psychiatric disorders, which caused hundreds of people to commit suicide.

Shortly thereafter, Accutane side effects that include Crohn’s disease along with other intestinal problems surfaced and the FDA ordered Roche AG to attach a strong warning label that clearly indicated the risk of side effects linked to Accutane before Roche AG actually recalled their prescription drug.

Crohn’s disease is a condition marked by flare-ups of symptoms that can be quite painful, and has no known cure. Some of the symptoms are abdominal pain, cramping in nature, lack of appetite, pain when passing stool or persistent watery diarrhea, fistulas around the rectal area and joint pain.

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Adverse Effects of Alcohol on Crohn’s Disease

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Crohn's Disease

People who suffer from ulcerative colitis should absolutely avoid alcohol.

Though no one knows exactly what causes ulcerative colitis, two things that exacerbate it are stress and the excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcohol not only puts stress on the body in general, but subjects the intestinal tract to infiltration by toxins. Alcohol also allows the gut to absorb large molecules that it otherwise couldn’t absorb. These toxins and macromolecules cause allergic reactions in and of themselves. Alcohol will also worsen the inflammation of ulcers in the gut. People with ulcerative colitis should eliminate alcohol from their diet. Though ulcerative colitis can’t be cured by modifications to the diet alone, the sufferer should see immediate improvement in their condition when they eliminate alcohol. It’s possible they might even experience long periods of remission.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic and inflammatory disease of the large intestine. Ulcers form in that part of the body and cause the patient bouts of bloody diarrhea. The ulcers themselves may form abscesses. Though ulcerative colitis can affect people of every age, it’s more common in women between 15 and 40.

Besides bloody diarrhea, the early symptoms of ulcerative colitis include pain that’s usually felt on the left side that’s relieved when the sufferer has a bowel movement. During an attack, the patient can have up to 20 bowel movements a day, which can leave them dehydrated. The loss of blood can also be dangerous and the patient is at higher risk of colon cancer. An extreme form of the disease, known as fulminant disease, can lead to the colon being perforated. This can result in death.

People with ulcerative colitis also suffer from cramping and pain, nausea, loss of weight and appetite and sweating. They can also suffer from a dangerously high fever. Sometimes hospitalization is necessary, though milder forms of ulcerative colitis can be treated with drug therapy. In very severe cases a doctor might recommend that the patient undergo an ileostomy or colostomy. Ileostomy is where the lower part of the small intestine is resected so that feces can leave the body through another opening instead of the rectum. This is called a stoma. The end of the stoma is placed outside the abdominal wall and after the surgery feces empty into a bag, called the ileostomy bag. Colostomy is basically the same procedure, except it’s performed on the colon.

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