What causes IBD, and can it be cured?
The exact cause is not fully known. IBD develops when the immune system reacts abnormally in the gut, in people with a genetic predisposition, set off by environmental factors. There is currently no cure, but treatment can control the inflammation and bring long periods of remission, and for ulcerative colitis surgery to remove the colon can stop the disease.
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The honest starting point is that the exact cause of IBD is not fully known. What researchers do agree on is that it is not down to any single thing. It comes from several factors acting together (Cleveland Clinic).
What seems to cause it
- The immune system. In IBD, immune cells in the gut mistakenly attack healthy bowel tissue, which drives the inflammation behind Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (Cleveland Clinic).
- Genes. IBD is not directly inherited, but a predisposition runs in families. Between 5 and 20 percent of people with IBD have a parent, child, or sibling who also has it (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation).
- Environment. Factors such as the gut bacteria and triggers like smoking appear to tip a susceptible immune system into disease (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation).
One thing it is not caused by is something you ate or did. Diet and stress can affect symptoms, but they do not cause IBD.
Can it be cured?
There is currently no cure for IBD (Cleveland Clinic). That sounds hard, but it is only part of the picture. Modern treatment can control the inflammation and keep people in remission, often for long stretches, with no or few symptoms.
There is one important exception. Because ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon, an operation to remove the colon can stop the disease itself. Crohn's disease can affect the whole gut, so surgery removes the diseased section but the condition can return elsewhere.