Genetic markers in inflammatory bowel disease

The genetics of inflammatory bowel disease has become an area of considerable active research. In the past 12 months, published work has reflected an increased appreciation of the complexities of inflammatory bowel disease, including the problems of disease heterogeneity, multifactorial inheritance, and the importance of ethnic differences in disease susceptibility. Progress has been made in a number of areas. Large studies from Japan, the United States, and Europe have examined the contribution of the genes of the major histocompatibility complex to genetic susceptibility in ulcerative colitis. Other genes involved in the regulation of the immune response, particularly cytokine genes, have also been investigated. New data continue to emerge concerning the significance of the antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Of great interest, systematic screening of the human genome for susceptibility genes, previously applied in other polygenic disorders, has now been demonstrated to be practicable in Crohn's disease. The strategy may lead to advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bower disease.