Evidence of epigenetics in inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are characterised by a persistent relapsing-remitting inflammation in the gut. These are some of the most complex diseases that afflict the digestive tract, involving multiple factors, including genetics, environment, and gut microbiota. These diseases seem to be on the rise worldwide and can affect the quality of life of patients drastically. They may predispose to colorectal cancer, and treatment can be very costly. The etiology of these diseases is not well understood. Genetic factors, environmental factors, including diet, the gut microbiota, and epigenetic factors have been implicated with these diseases.