What Are the Treatments for Crohn's With Adult Stem Cells?

Crohn's disease is a condition that results in painful abdominal symptoms and swelling that can become disabling. Crohn's has been successfully treated with adult stem cell therapy.

The Facts

• Adult stem cells, reports cogforlife.com, are "regenerative cells of the human body that possess the characteristic of plasticity." They are found inside your organs and body tissues.

Function

• Stem cell treatment "reboots" your immune system---it attacks the cells that cause Crohn's and replaces them, creating healthy tissue and, ideally, a reduction in symptoms.

Treatment

• Typical treatment for Crohn's disease is medication. But for patients not helped by drugs, stem cell therapy can offer relief, says StemCellResearchNews.com. Patients are first treated with chemotherapy to destroy their existing immune systems. Stem cells are then given intravenously to patients.

Research

• According to CellMedicine.com, studies in the United States and Italy used adult stem cells as a treatment for Crohn's disease. Six years after the treatment, 80 percent of patients still had total remission of their Crohn's symptoms. The remaining 20 percent, while not in complete remission, did report some improvement.

Time Frame

• Treatments with adult stem cells require only low doses and for a short period of time to show a reduction in Crohn's symptoms, reports StemCellResearchNews.com---as little as 28 days.