A simple stool test to determine the need for an endoscopy is showing promise. That is some relief for those agonizing whether they are suffering from the inflammatory bowel disease.
The disease refers to a number of conditions -- including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis -- that can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea and bleeding (the disease is sometimes confused with irritable bowel syndrome, which is a different condition.)
Colonoscopy Procedure - Animation
An animation of Colonoscopy that shows the appearance of large intestine or colon by using a thin and flexible viewing tube called the colonoscope.
Advertisement
Doctors look for signs of disease through endoscopies, which are procedures that require patients to allow a tube to be passed into their digestive system from the rectum.
In the new review, published online July 16 in BMJ, researchers sought to discover whether a test of proteins in the stool could help doctors discover whether an endoscopy is necessary.
![Inflammatory Bowel Disease Relieved by Local Anaesthesia]( "Inflammatory Bowel Disease Relieved by Local Anaesthesia")
Local anaesthetics, concludes a new study, could have therapeutic effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The researchers, from University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, analyzed six studies in a total of 670 adults and seven studies in a total of 371 children. They found that, overall, the protein screening reduced the number of endoscopies by two-thirds in adults and about one-third in children. But it also delayed diagnosis in 6 percent to 8 percent of the patients.
The stool test "is a useful screening tool for identifying patients who are most likely to need endoscopy for suspected inflammatory bowel disease," concluded Dr. Patrick van Rheenen, a pediatric gastroenterologist at University Medical Center Groningen, and colleagues in their report.
Dr. David A. Schwartz, a gastroenterologist who was not involved in the review, said the findings have the potential to change the way doctors screen patients. "If this strategy is borne out by future studies, and we get a rapid test that can be done in the office, this should be a nice addition to our diagnostic tools," said Schwartz, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Vanderbilt University.
In the big picture, Schwartz said, the findings are encouraging because they show medicine is moving closer to a way to check for inflammatory bowel disease without having to rely on an invasive test.
Source: Medindia
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Relieved by Local Anaesthesia
Local anaesthetics, concludes a new study, could have therapeutic effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Advertisement
The researchers, from University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, analyzed six studies in a total of 670 adults and seven studies in a total of 371 children. They found that, overall, the protein screening reduced the number of endoscopies by two-thirds in adults and about one-third in children. But it also delayed diagnosis in 6 percent to 8 percent of the patients.
The stool test "is a useful screening tool for identifying patients who are most likely to need endoscopy for suspected inflammatory bowel disease," concluded Dr. Patrick van Rheenen, a pediatric gastroenterologist at University Medical Center Groningen, and colleagues in their report.
Dr. David A. Schwartz, a gastroenterologist who was not involved in the review, said the findings have the potential to change the way doctors screen patients. "If this strategy is borne out by future studies, and we get a rapid test that can be done in the office, this should be a nice addition to our diagnostic tools," said Schwartz, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Vanderbilt University.
In the big picture, Schwartz said, the findings are encouraging because they show medicine is moving closer to a way to check for inflammatory bowel disease without having to rely on an invasive test.
Source: Medindia
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest General Health News
The Japanese parliament approved a bill allowing medical cannabis products and prohibiting their use for non-medicinal purposes.
Most Americans confess that due to constant flurry of activity during the holiday season, it is difficult to eat nutritiously, exercise, and get enough sleep.
People who suffer from depression, constipation, and urinary tract infections are more likely to get multiple sclerosis(MS) five years before MS diagnosis.
Seeking internet help for an incomplete antibiotic course resulted in kidney stone formation and urinary tract infection in a young woman.
The Brain Care Score is a tool to evaluate brain health and reduce the risk of brain disorders including dementia and stroke.