Review: Abnormal Intestinal Permeability in Crohn's Disease: A Possible Pathogenic Factor

Abstract

Although Crohn's disease has been recognized for more than 50 years, its etiology has not been clarified, and the mechanisms underlying the intestinal inflammation are poorly understood. There has been no lack of provocative hypotheses, and etiologic theories have invoked hereditary, allergic, dietary, infectious, autoimmune, vascular, neuromotor, and psychosomatic factors. So far, however, no exploration of any of these fields has yielded any conclusive answers, and it has not been clearly established into which, if any, of these categories the disease falls.