Korean J Gastroenterol.  2008 Oct;52(4):247-250.

A Case of Familial Crohn's Disease Observed in a Parent and His Offspring

• Cho HS
• Byun TJ
• Ahn SB
• Kim TY
• Eun CS
• Jeon YC
• Kim YS
• Han DS

Abstract

Crohn's disease (CD), one of the major forms of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is thought to be related to genetic susceptibility coupled with environmental factors. A positive family history is the strongest risk factor for the development of CD. The 10-fold increase in the familial risk of CD strongly suggests that these disorders have a genetic background. The prevalence of IBD in Asian populations is lower than in Western populations, which may be due to genetic influences, environmental factors, or a combination of both. In a Korean study, only 0.25% of parents had IBD in CD probands and all of them had ulcerative colitis. The term of familial CD was used only for those with one or more first-degree relatives with confirmed CD. There are few case reports about familial Crohn's disease in Korea. We report a case of familial CD that the father, the first degree relative was diagnosed as small bowel CD after confirming his son as having CD.

Keyword

Familial; Crohn's disease

MeSH Terms

Child
Colonoscopy
Crohn Disease/*diagnosis/etiology/radiography
Family
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pedigree