Almost all patients share your confusion. First, let’s explain what Crohn’s disease is. Crohn’s disease is called “Crohn’s disease”, or CD for short, after Dr. Burrill B. Crohn, an American pathologist who, together with colleagues Oppenheimer and Ginsburg, published a landmark paper in 1932 describing the features of Crohn’s disease. published a landmark paper in which he described the various features of Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease and a related disease called ulcerative colitis are the two most prominent diseases classified as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). When a physician tells you that you may have Crohn’s disease, people wonder: Did I do something wrong to get this disease? Did I eat something inappropriate to get this disease? Did I work too hard to get this disease? Is it because I am too stressed that I have this disease? So far, countless studies have been conducted to explore this question. Although there is no clear answer yet, most experts agree that the disease is likely to be multifactorial, with the following three main aspects: Genetic factors: Research has found that Crohn’s disease is prone to occur in certain families. In fact, about 20% of Crohn’s disease patients have first-degree relatives (i.e., cousins/sisters or closer) who also have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (although no data are available in China, clinical cases can be seen that do run in the family), so many foreign sources show that Crohn’s disease has a clear genetic component. Researchers have been actively exploring genes that could control the inheritance of Crohn’s disease. Foreign IBD research groups made a major breakthrough more than a decade ago when they identified the first gene associated with Crohn’s disease, called the NOD2 gene. This gene is subject to abnormal mutations that limit resistance to bacteria and is twice as common in Crohn’s disease patients as in the general population (although no definitive conclusion has been made in this country). So far, however, there is no method to predict which family members are susceptible to Crohn’s disease. It is likely that there is more than one gene associated with Crohn’s disease, and there has been a lot of progress in this area of research at home and abroad, and new technologies will be used to study these genes more clearly, which may lead to breakthroughs in both prediction and treatment of the disease in the future. Inappropriate immune response: In some patients, exposure to certain triggers results in an excessive immune response in the intestine, and this excessive immune response leads to varying degrees of inflammation in the intestinal lumen. Certain triggers: It is not clear exactly what environmental or pathogenic agent or substance triggers the intestinal lumen, leading to an excessive immune response and finally to an inflammation of the intestinal lumen, which persists. In summary, Crohn’s disease is a genetically related disease where certain triggers in the environment may cause a series of reactions that eventually lead to the development of the disease. It activates the body’s immune system, which fights against external invaders, and this is where the inflammation begins. The inflammation continues and then destroys the mucosa of the colon and causes the symptoms associated with Crohn’s disease. In other words, it is not your fault that the disease has developed and you do not have to blame yourself. Stress or diet may trigger an attack, but they are not the cause of the disease.