الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown etiology. It is hypothesized that IBD is due to a dysregulated mucosal immune response to commensal gut flora in genetically susceptible individuals. However, causes of the dysregulated immune response are not delineated. The fluctuating disease course affects quality of life in IBD patients signifcantly. Furthermore, CD and UC account for substantial costs tothe health care system and society.