Here is a quote directly from the article:

The investigators looked at the quantities of neutrophils that patients with Crohn’s disease produce in response to trauma at sites in the bowel and on the skin surface. They found that in response to trauma, Crohn’s disease patients produced much lower quantities of neutrophils and inflammatory mediators when compared with healthy individuals. Cultured blood cells were also abnormal in the patients.

To test the inflammatory response to bacteria, the team also measured local inflammatory and blood flow changes in participants after injecting a harmless form of Escherichia Coli under their skin. In the healthy controls, blood flow in the area of inflammation increased approximately ten-fold by 24 hours. Crohn’s disease patients, however, had much lower blood flow than controls. The researchers found that the abnormally low blood flow in Crohn’s patients could be corrected by treatment with Sildenafil, indicating a possible role for the drug in the treatment of the disease.

Here’s the link to the complete article…

28 September 2006 | Crohn's Disease, Crohn's Treatments, Crohn's Research | Comments