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Viagra could help Crohn's disease

1 March 2006

A new study by UCL scientists have found that Crohn's disease may be caused by a failure of the immune response, contrary to the commonly-held view that the disease is caused by excess inflammation.

Professor Segal

The findings, published in 'The Lancet', suggest that Crohn's sufferers could be given Viagra to boost blood flow to an infected site, thus improving the body's inflammatory response to infection.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bowel, where lesions and ulcers form on the bowel walls. It can lead to severe gastrointestinal symptoms (sometimes requiring surgery) and chronic ill health. Many causes have been suggested for the disease, including infection with tuberculosis, other bacteria or viruses thought to trigger an excessive inflammatory response.

In the UCL study, Professor Tony Segal and colleagues investigated whether the disease is instead caused by impaired innate immunity. They found a defective immune response in Crohn's sufferers, based on a lack of white blood cells sent to destroy bacteria.

To read the full UCL press release about this story, use the link at the bottom of the article.

Image: Professor Tony Segal