[Ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease from the immunologic viewpoint]

A critical immunological survey is given on etiology and pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Since antigen specific suppressor cells are presumably not very likely, the appropriate hypotheses must be replaced by new ones. Assuming disturbances of the regulation of the immune system as the key to etiopathogenesis, a genetic hypothesis can be presented. This hypothesis is based on the assumption of physiological and pathogenic autogenes as well as regulator genes.