Warning signs could predict inflammatory bowel disease a decade before diagnosis
Antibody patterns in the blood may help doctors identify people at risk so they can be treated earlier, research shows
TL;DR
- Antibody patterns in blood may predict inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) up to 10 years before diagnosis.
- This discovery could lead to earlier detection and potentially prevention of IBD, which currently is treated after gut damage has occurred.
- In individuals who later developed Crohn's disease, antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus were more common a decade before diagnosis.
- Those who developed ulcerative colitis showed different antibody patterns, including against the body's own proteins.
- The research is considered an important step, but not yet a clinical test for predicting IBD.
- IBD affects at least 3.8 million people worldwide, causing chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.