Work

Sleep disturbances and inflammatory bowel disease: a potential trigger for disease flare?

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a waxing and waning disease characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss. Recently, there has been an increased interest in the roles that sleep, circadian rhythms and melatonin could have as regulators of inflammation in the Gl tract. Advances in our understanding of the molecular machinery of the circadian clock, and the discovery of clock genes in the GI tract are opening up new avenues of research for a role of sleep in IBD. Altering circadian rhythm significantly worsens the development of colitis in animal models, and preliminary human studies have shown that patients with IBD are at increased risk for altered sleep patterns. Further research is needed to clarify the role of disturbances in IBD.

Source: Expert Review of Clinical Immunology

DOI: 10.1586/eci.10.83

Authors: Garth R Swanson, Helen J Burgess, Ali Keshavarzian

Institution: Rush University Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health