Crohn's Disease Scientist Knows the Disease as a Patient, Too

Whenever a co-worker has a bad cold, Karen Edelblum wears a mask.

And, although just in her mid-30s, she already has been through a case of shingles, a disease that more typically strikes those over 50.

 
Such is life for someone with Crohn's disease, a misery-inducing immune disorder with flare-ups that she likens to having food poisoning for months on end.

But unlike most of the 1.6 million others in the United States who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's and colitis, Edelblum is fighting the problem not only as a patient, but also as a scientist.