Immune System Discovery Might Yield Better Crohn's Treatments

Researchers studying how the immune system works found it sometimes has a Jekyll and Hyde nature. This discovery led to important information on the nature of immunity and how it affects inflammatory conditions like Crohn's disease.

According to ScienceDaily, researchers from the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine found that while the immune system can fight off severe inflammatory conditions, it can also turn on the body during a later stage of inflammation and hamper an immune response.

Additional inflammatory disorders likely to be affected by the research include diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, leprosy, leishmaniasis, and cancer. At a certain point in each of these conditions, immunity enters a suppressive mode, causing the disorder to worsen.

Around 700,000 Americans suffer from Crohn's disease, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America reports. This disorder and its cousin, ulcerative colitis, are the two principal types of inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn's is incurable. While its exact cause remains a mystery, many experts believe it's a combination of factors such as genetics, a faulty immune system, and environmental issues.

The most recent treatment for Crohn's is biologic therapy. It utilizes drugs such as Remicade, Humira, and Cimzia to neutralize a protein manufactured by the immune system of a Crohn's patient known as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), the Mayo Clinic says.

The Hebrew University work utilized mice. Researchers sought to discover why one compound, TNF-a, showed beneficial effects and the beginning of an immune response against pathogenic invaders and tumor cells, but then displayed harmful features during a chronic phase of an inflammatory disease.

After injecting mice experiencing a severe inflammatory response with etanercept, an anti-TNF drug, the researchers noted that the medication abolished the immunosuppressive activity of certain cells in the blood. This restored the mice's immune function. The restoration mimics the way this FDA-approved drug was designed to work in humans with inflammatory conditions.

Various combinations of drugs failed to prevent me from undergoing five surgeries for Crohn's disease. The gastroenterologist prescribed an anti-TNF drug that I took, along with other medications, for around two years. However, an endoscopic procedure revealed that I had still developed active disease.

Because of side effects presumably linked to the medication, I opted to stop it. I have declined to try any of the other anti-TNF drugs for Crohn's patients because no one has been able to provide an answer as to exactly how they work and why they fail for some patients.

The Hebrew University research team believes that the information they discovered about the relationship between TNF and the dual nature of the immune system will eventually lead to better treatments for illnesses like Crohn's disease. My hope as a patient is that the research will continue and result in therapies that can be customized for Crohn's patients who have had unsatisfactory results with biologic medications.

Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online health and medical articles. She specializes in diseases and other conditions that affect the quality of life.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/immune-system-discovery-might-yield-better-crohns-treatments-155800515.html

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