So it was a health problem after all, admits Steve Jobs

Addressing the recent announcement that he will not deliver the Macworld keynote this year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs released a statement this morning about his mysterious health condition.

Jobs' health has been an issue of considerable interest to the Apple community, and indeed to the tech community at large. Jobs' now gaunt frame causes some level of discourse at each of the CEO's public appearances, and the intensity of the rumors is only aggravated by Apple's secretive nature.

This morning, Jobs issued a statement that his health and stopping the incessant weight loss have become his top priority, and in running "sophisticated blood tests," his doctors believe they have isolated the problem. In typical Apple fashion, however, Jobs does not give the malady a name, referring to it only as a hormone imbalance that causes a deprivation of proteins. He goes on to say that he's already begun treatment and expects a spring recovery.

Jobs' description and symptoms seem to fall in line with those of Crohn's Disease, a disorder of the upper intestine. Outward symptoms include weight loss, anemia, and complexion problems, some of which Jobs has exhibited. It's a difficult disease to diagnose, but a comparatively easy one to treat, and is more common than intestinal cancer -- which was one of the candidates of speculation up until this morning. Crohn's is not related to cancer.

For now, Jobs will continue to work as CEO and said he would step down if he could no longer fulfill his duties.