Investigators of Porto university’s institute of Health Investigation and Innovation are involved in a project, financed to the tune of €7 million, designed for ‘early intervention and prevention” of Crohn’s Disease – a chronic digestive disorder which as yet has no cure, and leads to many deaths. The focus is on discovering the ‘trigger’ for Crohn’s, which can take years to develop, explain reports. Portugal currently has around 25,000 people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease out of a universe of around 10 million throughout the world. It is suspected that Crohn’s is precipitated by ‘environmental factors, genetics, and Western eating habits’.
