Genotype-based classification of inflammatory bowel disease phenotype

摘要

For many years there has been much discussion regarding the precise disease entity of ulcerative colitis (UQ and Crohn's disease (CD). Are they two distinct diseases? Are they a spectrum of the same pathological process? Is proctitis the same disease as extensive UC? How many diseases are encompassed by a clinical picture of 'CD'? These are just a few questions that have been raised, and no clear answers have emerged until recently when genetic studies have offered the promise of being able to define disease by genetic analysis. Furthermore, the natural history and behaviour of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is also partly determined by genetic factors, which has given rise to the possibility of being able to predict the course of disease based on genetic analysis.