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Warning: this article contains images some readers might find distressing.
UK scientists have made a major breakthrough while investigating inflammatory bowel disease, which could change the lives of thousands.
Because of this finding, it is no longer 'not clear' what causes the condition, according to scientists and we could very well be on the way to finding a suitable treatment plan that helps so many people get rid of their painful symptoms.
The breakthrough could change the lives of those who suffer from IBD, as effective treatments might have been right in front of us all along without anyone even knowing.
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The answer to the IBD question was revealed after the researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London found that there is a weak spot in the DNA of people who suffer from IBD, while they were trying to figure out where the condition originates from.
They revealed that this DNA glitch was present in 95 percent of people who have the disease, and now they reckon they have finally gotten to the bottom of what causes the illness to occur.
This horrid condition causes people to feel uncomfortable, bloated, pain in their abdomen and it can also make them vomit too if they eat certain foods.
So, finding a proper treatment would save so many people from having to live with debilitating symptoms.
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Dr James Lee, the group leader of the genetic mechanisms of disease laboratory at Francis Crick, explained that his team 'stumbled' on the groundbreaking discovery after taking a closer look at a 'gene desert'.
This is scientific jargon for a stretch of DNA on chromosome 21, which does not code for proteins and has previously been linked to health problems, such as IBD and other autoimmune diseases.
The research, which was detailed in Nature, said that scientists realised a particular section of DNA - dubbed an 'enhancer' - acts similarly to a volume control for nearby genes.
But this booster was only seen in immune cells, or white blood cells, known as macrophages - where it amplified a gene called ETS2 and dually raised the risk of IBD.
Macrophages flood the linings of the intestines and release chemicals called cytokines, which trigger massive inflammation - and as we all know, too much of this for prolonged periods is uncomfortable to say the least.
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Researchers found that the 'enhancer' section of DNA is the macrophage's 'master regulator' of inflammation after conducting thorough genetic analysis, which Dr Lee said sits 'at the top of the pyramid'.
Dr Lee added: "This is undoubtedly one of the central pathways that goes wrong for people to get inflammatory bowel disease. It is the process by which one of the most important cells that causes inflammatory bowel disease goes wrong."
Dubbing it a 'holy grail' discovery, he explained that drugs which are already approved for other illnesses such as cancer were able to calm this excessive inflammation - but they need to be tweaked to perfection to target the macrophages.
Dr Lee said he hopes that clinical trials will be underway within five years.
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They are now keen to set up human trials after realising drugs which already exist seem to reverse the disease in laboratory experiments - so it's looking up for those with IBD.
If you didn't know, around half a million people in the UK are suffering from some form of inflammatory bowel disease, but Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are both the most common.
Sufferers typically experience symptoms such as diarrhoea, stomach pain or cramps, blood in their poo, bleeding from their bottom, fatigue and excessive weight loss without trying.
There's obviously a big overlap between the signs of IBD and other similar conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but you can differentiate between the two as IBD causes inflammation in the bowels.
According to the NHS website at the time of writing, it is 'not clear' what causes the disease, but it 'happens when your immune system attacks your bowel, which causes it to get inflamed'.
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Well, it’s time to update the website as now it’s very much clear.
Britt Jones