Washington—Jews of East European ancestry are known to have an increased risk for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and that risk has been attributed largely to a genetic predisposition. However, a study presented at the 2018 Digestive Disease Week (abstract Su1864) indicates that environmental factors may play an equally important role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease in this population.
“While genetics are likely to account for some of the risk of IBD