4 ms·

I've never heard of a situation like yours where so many family members are affected. If I may ask, is the aunt you refer to your Dad's sister or your Mom's? A

• ethank 15y ago
  It's my dad's sister. Crohn's can be genetic and it seems to be more common in Eastern Europe (Ashkenazi) descendent Jews. See here as a jumping off point for that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_genetics_of_Jewish_people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_genetics_of_Jewish_peop...
• hvs 15y ago
  Crohn's is a bit odd genetically. While having a parent with Crohn's increases your chances by 2-3x's, having a sibling with Crohn's increases your chances 20-30x's. So, it's not surprising that your wife and her sister as well as your dad and his sister have it. There's a strong correlation in siblings. There are so many genes associated with Crohn's, though, it's hard to pin it down. I was diagnosed with Crohn's seven years ago at the age of 28 and both of my siblings have started to develop similar symptoms over the past couple of years.
  • ethank 15y ago
    Actually it's my sister that has Crohn's. My wife's brother doesn't have it and neither do I.