Identification of pediatric onset inflammatory bowel disease loci and methods for use thereof for the diagnosis and treatment of the same

A method for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprising detecting the presence of at least one IBD-associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in a target polynucleotide comprising:

• (a) isolating nucleic acids from a biological sample from a subject;
• (b) detecting in the nucleic acids the presence of at least one IBD-associated-SNP selected from a Tat rs2315008 in the TNFRSF6B gene, an A at rs4809330 on chromosome 20 in the TNFRSF6B gene, and an A at rs2836878 on chromosome 21;
• and diagnosing the subject as having IBD or an increased risk of IBD based on the presence of the detected IBD-associated-SNP;
• and
• (c) administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a therapy useful for treating IBD.