STEPHEN HANAUER, MD: Primarily the upper socioeconomic groups develop ulcerative colitis. So, for instance, in third world countries, we only see it in the affluent, and in the evolving countries it’s the city people and the more affluent people who develop ulcerative colitis first. That means, we think, that being exposed to bacteria or poor sanitation is probably protective against the development of ulcerative colitis.
DANIEL PRESENT, MD: This is a disease one sees in the late teens, early 20s, and this is what makes it a terrible disease, in that those are the times when people are forming their personality, going off to school, starting to date, and so it impinges on what will be their quality of life, having to deal with an illness while they're dealing with growing up.
ANNOUNCER: Although the exact cause of the disease is unknown, researchers believe that a combination of factors is involved.
STEPHEN HANAUER, MD: We believe that there are two components to ulcerative colitis. The first is a genetic disposition to getting the condition, and then the second is a trigger from the environment. And when we talk about the environment, we talk about what’s inside our intestine, which is probably some form of a bacteria or other infectious agent that starts the inflammation, and then the body continues it or perpetuates it and is unable to shut down the inflammation as it would in an infection.
