Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that affects the digestive tract, causing inflammation, abdominal pain, and other symptoms. For patients with Crohn’s disease, the condition can have a significant impact on quality of life. Due to the painful and often unpredictable nature of the symptoms, many people with this condition struggle with depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
They may also experience sleep disturbances, weight loss or gain, skin problems, and bowel issues. In addition to making day-to-day activities more difficult, these symptoms can often interfere with treatment regimens and prevent patients from having an active social life or pursuing their career goals. Overall, having Crohn’s disease can be a difficult challenge to face on a daily basis.
While the exact causes of Crohn’s are still unknown, research has shown that treatments focused on managing symptoms can be very effective for patients. A popular approach involves using a combination of medications to help reduce inflammation in the digestive system, as well as combat fatigue and other symptoms associated with the condition.
Other treatment options involve adjusting diet and lifestyle to limit the impact of flare-ups and reduce overall stress levels. For those who have severely impacted quality of life due to Crohn’s disease, alternative therapies like physiotherapy may also be recommended to improve mobility and manage pain.
Umbilical cord stem cell therapy is an emerging treatment for Crohn’s disease, a debilitating autoimmune disorder that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Recent research has shown that this form of therapy can help to reduce inflammation in affected areas, thus limiting the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and improving quality of life for those living with the condition.
These cells have been shown to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which makes them effective at suppressing the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, including persistent diarrhea, bloody stools, arthritis, and abdominal pain. In addition to providing symptom relief, umbilical cord stem cell therapy also helps to promote healing within the gastrointestinal tract, allowing the body’s natural repair mechanisms to function more efficiently.
A study, Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Treatment for Crohn’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, looked into the potential of this form of treatment for patients suffering from Crohn’s Disease.
Results of the Study
Researchers were interested in investigating the potential of umbilical cord stem cells for treating Crohn’s disease. The study included a total of 82 patients who had been receiving steroid maintenance therapy for at least 6 months prior to enrollment in the trial. Of these patients, 41 were randomly selected to receive weekly infusions of mesenchymal stem cells. Patients received 1×106 UC-MSCs/kg stem cell infusions every week for four weeks.
Over the course of 12 months following the first treatment, researchers assessed multiple markers of disease severity, including the Harvey-Bradshaw index (HBI),Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and doses of corticosteroids necessary to adequately control inflammation. The researchers followed up at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.
The results of the study were extremely promising. The researchers found that the treatment is safe and feasible for patients with Crohn’s disease. There were no serious adverse effects from the treatment. Some patients experienced fever which was resolved using medication and some patients experienced an upper respiratory tract infection.
The patients in the treatment group experienced decreases in their levels of inflammatory markers like CDAI and HBI, as well as a reduction in their dosage of corticosteroids. Patients had CDAI, HBI, and corticosteroid dosage of 281.5±75.2, 12.7±3.2, and 13.6±2.8 mg/day before the study and those numbers improved to 219.0±67.6, 9.3±2.9, and 9.4±3.1. The stem cell group also experienced an improvement in their CDEIS. The scores improved from 9.2±1.5 at the start of the study to 3.4±1.2 after 12 months.
The researchers believe that the treatment caused improvement in the patients’ immune system reactions. This effect can reduce inflammation in the gut which likely reduces the symptoms.
While these results demonstrate great potential for UC-MSC therapy, further studies are needed before we can say for sure that it is an effective long-term treatment for CD.
Still, this early research suggests that UC-MSC holds significant promise for those living with chronic inflammatory diseases like CD. And with continued research and development into this exciting new treatment approach, many more individuals will be able to find relief from their disease symptoms and get back to living healthy, active lives.
