A gene for Crohn's disease is given the nod

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract with an estimated prevalence of 0.1% of the population in Western countries. Current therapies are far from ideal, relying mainly on steroids and sulfasalazine, although more recently some success has been reported in the use of agents that limit the action of tumour necrosis factor. The disease is thought to result from an interaction between environmental factors (including bacterial flora in the gut) and a genetic predisposition.