Desorption in Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is one of a class of inflammatory bowel diseases that cause chronic inflammation---irritation and swelling---within different parts of the digestive tract. The digestive tract follows a path from the mouth to the anus. Any part of the digestive tract can be affected by Crohn's disease, but most often it affects the ileum, which is part of the small intestine. Desorption in Crohn's disease may work to distinguish this disease from other similar inflammatory bowel diseases in the diagnostic process.

Identification

• The inflammation brought about by Crohn's disease can lead to severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, and it may also lead to malnutrition. The inflammation often extends deep into the lining of the digestive tract and creates sores called ulcers. Crohn's disease can be extremely painful and incapacitating, sometimes leading to life-threatening complications, such as intestinal bleeding, blockage and perforation of the small intestine, abscesses, distention or dilation of the colon and rupture of the intestine. Although there are no known cures for the disease, there are therapies available to reduce the symptoms and bring about long-term remissions.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of Crohn's disease are similar to those of other inflammatory bowel diseases---such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis---which can make it difficult to diagnose. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can develop gradually or appear suddenly with no prior signs. Typical symptoms of active Crohn's disease include diarrhea, abdominal cramping and pain, bloody stools, ulcers and decreased appetite and weight loss.

Causes

• The cause of Crohn's disease remains unknown. However, it is now believed that a number of factors, including a malfunctioning immune system and heredity, play a part in the development of this debilitating disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, some investigators believe Crohn's disease is the result of the body's abnormal immune response to common intestinal bacteria. People with Crohn's disease tend to have a mutation in the gene NOD2 that may be hereditary. Desorption may be helpful in finding the relevant markers---or signs of a disease found in a blood sample---that can lead to accurate diagnosis of Crohn's disease.

Diagnosis

• The diagnosis of Crohn's disease is often accomplished through invasive diagnostic tests, such as endoscopy and histology. An endoscopy entails the visual examination of the digestive tract through the insertion of an endoscope into the body. Histology involves taking thin slices of the diseased tissue for examination under a microscope to determine the structure and chemical composition of the tissue cells. Desorption in Crohn's disease involves the non-invasive analytical tool of serum protein profiling. Serum protein profiling is the process of identifying biomarkers---disease-related protein "fingerprints"---for inflammatory bowel diseases in the blood.

Desorption

• Desorption is simply the separation of absorbates (materials capable of being absorbed) from an absorbent (something that absorbs).

  Desorption in Crohn's disease is accomplished with laser desorption mass spectrometry, a versatile and widely used analytical tool most often used in the examination of organic compounds. It involves the separation of matter according to atomic and molecular mass through the use of a spectrometer.

  With laser desorption mass spectrometry, a blood protein sample is hit with a laser, breaking off particles (absorbates) that are sent to a mass spectrometer for analysis.

Significance

• The use of laser desorption mass spectrometry could be a major tool in the diagnosis, prognosis and appropriate drug therapy for Crohn's disease. Desorption in Crohn's disease may allow for the identification of protein biomarkers evident with this and other inflammatory bowel diseases.