Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are becoming more common across the Western world, with no known cure.
In Denmark alone, 50,000 people suffer from these conditions, a number that has doubled in the past 20 years.
Most people are diagnosed in early adulthood, but some children show symptoms like weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bleeding at a very young age.
Now, researchers from the Center for Molecular Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (PREDICT) at Aalborg University have made an exciting discovery: biological changes linked to IBD can already be seen in some children at birth.
This groundbreaking study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, could change the way we think about diagnosing and possibly preventing these diseases.
Jonas Julius Rudbæk, a Ph.D. student at PREDICT, explains that by comparing blood samples from newborns who later develop IBD to those who don’t, they’ve found signs of the disease before any symptoms appear.
This discovery is particularly important for young children who often cannot fully explain their pain. Early detection through newborn screening could allow doctors to take action before the disease even starts.
However, Rudbæk stresses that this research is still in its early stages. “This is the first time this connection has been found on a global scale, and it’s a huge step forward.
But there’s still a lot we need to learn about these early signs of IBD,” he said.
IBD causes chronic inflammation in the intestines, leading to symptoms like persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fatigue.
Researchers have recently found that certain markers of inflammation can appear in blood samples up to 10 years before a diagnosis. This suggests that IBD starts developing much earlier than doctors previously thought. However, the study shows that only children diagnosed with IBD before the age of six show these early biological changes at birth.
“We only see these early signs in very young children, which tells us that this group is particularly at risk,” Rudbæk said. This subgroup of children may be more severely affected by IBD, making it especially important to explore ways to prevent the disease in them.
Professor Tine Jess, the director of PREDICT, emphasized that this study highlights the value of Denmark’s health data and biobank resources. “In the future, what we learn from these resources could help prevent chronic conditions like IBD, not just in Denmark but around the world,” she said.
This new research opens the door to earlier detection and potential prevention strategies for IBD, offering hope for children at risk of developing the disease.
