Why does the immune system attack your intestines?
Does it see your intestines as a threat?
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I’m not an MD, but here’s my semi-informed understanding:
We don’t exactly know why Crohn’s and other inflammatory bowel diseases happen. There seem to be genetic and environmental predispositions, which may be triggered or set off by a virus or some other infection or toxic exposure. After the triggering exposure, the immune system of the GI tract doesn’t settle down properly. T-cells and other immune cells stay hyper-active in the intestines like a swarm of angry bees. And, unfortunately, inflammation is a natural healing behavior intentionally triggered by immune cells that, if it never cools down, will eventually cause insurmountable damage to tissues.
So, it’s not like the immune cells are attacking your bowels, rejecting them as if they were an invader, or transplanted tissue. It’s more like, the immune system will never stand down from the code red alert that occurred at some point, and from then on the bowels are left dealing with the constant burden of overactive immune vigilance and inflammation that will eventually become more than the tissues can bear to tolerate.
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