  Crohn's disease and month of birth.; ; et al in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (2005), 11(6), 597-9 BACKGROUND: Environmental factors trigger the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in genetically predisposed individuals. Exposure to seasonal external factors during the maturation of the immune ... [more ▼] BACKGROUND: Environmental factors trigger the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in genetically predisposed individuals. Exposure to seasonal external factors during the maturation of the immune system is suspected to be an inducing factor for IBD. Some studies suggested an association between the month of birth and the later development of IBD. We studied this putative relationship in a large cohort of Belgian patients with Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: Data from 1025 patients born between 1935 and 1990 were collected. Diagnosis of CD was based on generally accepted clinical, endoscopic, and histologic criteria. As a control group, a cohort of 5125 non-IBD patients seen at the same hospital and matched for birth year and sex was used. Odds ratios were calculated using multivariate unconditional logistic regression including the matching variables and allowing for cyclic variation in risk with month of birth. RESULTS: A cyclic pattern described by a 4-month periodic function was observed with peaks in April and August. Moreover, being born in June significantly reduced the risk of developing CD later in life (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: In this Belgian cohort, a significant association was found between the month of birth and later development of IBD; a significant reduced risk to develop CD was observed for people born in June. Moreover, environmental yearly reoccurring factors during pregnancy or postpartum might be associated with the occurrence of CD later in life. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 20 (3 ULg)Transmission of CARD15 (NOD2) variants within families of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.; ; Van Steen, Kristel  et alin American Journal of Gastroenterology (2004), 99(2), 299-305 OBJECTIVES: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CARD15 have been independently associated with Crohn's disease (CD). Since nothing is known about the transmission of these variants within ... [more ▼] OBJECTIVES: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CARD15 have been independently associated with Crohn's disease (CD). Since nothing is known about the transmission of these variants within families, this was the subject of our study in Flemish patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and their healthy relatives. METHODS: A cohort of 1,670 individuals (570 CD, 173 UC, 165 healthy controls, 762 first-degree unaffected relatives of CD patients) was genotyped for Arg702Trp, Gly908Arg, and Leu1007fsinsC. Mutant allele and carrier frequencies were compared between groups. Segregation patterns were compared using a bivariate Dale model. RESULTS: The carrier prevalence of CARD15 variants for CD patients was 46.3%, compared to 20.6% for healthy controls and 22.0% for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients (both p < 0.0001). An increased carriage rate of CARD15 variants was observed in unaffected relatives of CD patients (37.3%; p < 0.0001 vs controls), although this was significantly lower than in the CD patients (p = 0.001). Paternal transmission gave a 5.17-fold higher chance for the child to develop the disease compared to maternal transmission (95% CI [1.59, 16.78]; p = 0.0063). UC patients belonging to mixed IBD families carried significantly more mutations (42.3%) compared to other UC patients (18.4%) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal transmission of the CARD15 variant allele is associated with a lower proportion of affected individuals compared to paternal transmission. Therefore, maternal transmission does not carry an increased risk of transmission as does paternal transmission. The increased mutation carriage in unaffected siblings of CD patients and in UC patients belonging to mixed families suggests that other factors than CARD15 contribute to the eventual disease expression. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 7 (2 ULg)Interassay and interobserver variability in the detection of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in patients with ulcerative colitis.; ; et al in Clinical Chemistry (2004), 50(8), 1422-5 Detailed reference viewed: 9 (3 ULg) |
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