Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case Study

The textbook mentioned several autoimmune diseases that are a result of thymus and T cell not functioning appropriately. One of the diseases that was mentioned was inflammatory bowel disease. I decided to do further research to see how T cells interact and create predisposing factors for inflammatory bowel disease. It was thought that TH1 and TH2 cells play a role in causing injury to the tissues in someone with inflammatory bowel disease. However, recent research have linked TH17 cells to this disease. TH17 cells are known to affect both acquired and innate immunity. The main mediator in inflammatory bowel disease is the immune system. Immune responses can be altered by environmental factors, thus these environmental factors play a role in
the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. This is especially of concern when the environmental factors are able to affect to the gut flora. Research has also shown that their is a genetic factor to developing inflammatory bowel disease and thus people who have the genetic factor are more susceptible to it. It has also been noted that the changes in environments, lifestyles, and diets has led to a higher portion of the population being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. Diets that are high in fruit and fiber have been shown to have a decreased risk for developing inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel disease is affected by many factors. Research is showing how T cells, specifically TH17 cells, are involved with developing this autoimmune disease.