Ulcerative Colitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Have you ever wondered if ulcerative colitis can affect teenagers or whether surgery was absolutely necessary for carpal tunnel syndrome? The following article outlines some interesting information on teen ulcerative colitis and carpal tunnel syndrome in the form of Doctor Paul G. Donohue, M.D., answering questions from concerned readers.

The first question comes from a grandmother curious about her sixteen year old grandson’s diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. She would like more information on whether ulcerative colitis is common for teenagers, as well as whether or not this will affect his life expectancy and growth rate. Dr. Donohue explains the signs and statistics of ulcerative colitis, along with non-surgical medicines and surgical procedures that can be helpful for those experiencing the illness.

The second question comes from a patient who has been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and is curious as to whether her doctor’s recommendation for surgery is absolutely needed if her pain is not severe. In this instance, Dr. Donohue explains nerve conduction velocity and gives an education view of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Read this informative article to find out Dr. Donohue’s edifying answers in relation to these common medical questions.

Ulcerative colitis is no respecter of age









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An Effort to Understand Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel condition that affects around 100,000 people a year in the UK alone, and is thought to affect over 200 people per 100,000 in North America. Symptoms include losing weight, abdominal pain, frequent trips to the toilet and bloody diarrhea. Ulcerative colitis is a predominantly genetic disease.

In an effort to understand ulcerative colitis and find a new treatment for the condition, Dr. Andre Franke from the Albrechts University in Germany, along with colleagues from various universities around Europe, held a study to determine whether interleukin 10 (IL10) could possibly be helpful for ulcerative colitis. Interleukin 10 is an anti-inflammatory protein. After the study their initial assessment determined that interleukin 10 is a potential therapy, though more studies will be held. The study was published in Nature Genetics, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The study involved searching for exacting gene variations that would cause ulcerative colitis. To do this they obtained DNA samples from participants with ulcerative colitis, as well as DNA samples from a control group without the condition. They then analyzed and searched specific points along the DNA called SNPs - Single nucleotide polymorphisms – to determine whether certain variants are associated with the condition. The study was considered a genetic case-control study referred to as a genome-wide analysis. After doing analysis on over 2,000 people, they repeated the DNA test again on an additional 5,000 people from three other studies.

The researchers found that a variant of IL10 was present in some people with ulcerative colitis, as well as Crohn’s disease and some health controls. It appeared that the variant near to IL10 was responsible for a 35 percent increase in the chance of developing ulcerative colitis. When the study was completed they suggested that a defect in IL10 could be instrumental in developing the condition. They believe the study provides confirmation that variations within IL10 could be contributing to the condition, though more studies are needed to make a strong, solid conclusion. They do believe that interleukin 10 could be helpful if given to patients with colitis.






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Gene Variants Important in Bowel Disorder

Could a gene be the culprit when it comes to ulcerative colitis? Dr. Andre Franke and his colleagues at the Christian-Albrechts University in Germany believe so; their study is at least enough to merit more studies that can show the same outcome. The case-controlled study was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and was published online in Nature Genetics, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

It is thought that nearly 500,000 people in the United States suffer with Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. There is no cure, but therapies can dramatically reduce the symptoms. The most common symptoms are bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain, but anemia, rectal bleeding, join pain, skin legions, weight loss and fatigue are also among the symptoms. The disease can occur at any age but is most likely to affect teens and young adults ages 15 to 30 years old and is also thought to be genetic.

In the study Dr. Franke and his colleagues were searching for gene variations that would make patients more susceptible to developing ulcerative colitis. The study consisted of 1,167 people with ulcerative colitis and 777 people without the disease. After obtaining DNA samples from all subjects, they looked at specific points in the DNA called SNPs to determine an association with the disease. Later, they did another test on 1,855 people with the disease and 3,091 control subjects without ulcerative colitis. During the testing, the researchers did not know which DNA belonged to which group.

What they found suggested that there is an association between ulcerative colitis and the gene interleukin 10 (IL10), which regulates inflammation. They found certain gene variants increased the chances of patients developing ulcerative colitis and also found that a defect in IL10 function is important to the development of the disorder.

More studies will need to be held to determine whether IL10 treatment will be helpful for those with ulcerative colitis, because the researchers still did not identify the actual variants that cause this and could not prove that the treatment could be helpful for those with ulcerative colitis. It may still take a number of years to find a solid conclusion, but trials should be easy to get underway with the conclusions of these studies.







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